Zaporizhzhia
Background
Zaporizhzhia is a city in southeast Ukraine on the banks of the Dnieper River and the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. It was formerly known as Aleksandrovsk, or Oleksandrivsk, until 1921. With a population estimated at 710,052 in 2022, it is one of the larger urban centres in the region and serves as a major administrative and economic hub.
The city has long been significant in industrial and energy terms. It is known for the historic island of Khortytsia and for multiple power stations, and the surrounding area is an important centre for heavy industry. Output associated with the region includes steel, aluminium, aircraft engines, automobiles, transformers for substations, and other industrial goods, giving it a substantial role in Ukraine’s broader manufacturing and energy infrastructure.
Zaporizhzhia also has relevance in recent Russian and regional affairs because it is one of the Ukrainian territories referenced in Russian policy and banking activity since 2022. Current database material notes that PSB Bank has been present there since 2022 and maintained branches there in 2025, reflecting the extension of Russian financial services into annexed Ukrainian territories. In broader context, the city’s location, industrial base, and administrative function make it strategically important in discussions of territorial control, governance, and economic integration.
Timeline
Residents of Zaporizhzhia were included among the categories of people from annexed Ukrainian territories who became eligible for expanded free legal aid while seeking refugee status or Russian citizenship.
Access to Free Legal Aid Expanded for Certain Categories of CitizensPSB Bank had expanded its branch network across the annexed Ukrainian territories, including Zaporizhzhia, to 463 branches in total.
Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with the Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC Pyotr Fradkov
Documents
Access to Free Legal Aid Expanded for Certain Categories of Citizens
Russia's State Duma passed amendments expanding free legal aid to persons from annexed Ukrainian territories seeking refugee status or Russian citizenship.
Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with the Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC Pyotr Fradkov
Mishustin met with PSB Bank chief Fradkov, who reported 9 trillion rubles in assets for 2025 and 463 branches across Russia's four annexed Ukrainian territories, covering over 50% of the banking sector's credit portfolio there.