City with special status

A city with special status (Ukrainian: місто зі спеціальним статусом, romanized: misto zi spetsial'nym statusom), formerly a "city of republican subordinance",^[1] is a type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. Kyiv and Sevastopol are the only two such cities. Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukrainian Constitution in Chapter IX: Territorial Structure of Ukraine and they are governed in accordance with laws passed by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.^[2] Most of Ukraine's 27 first-level administrative divisions are oblasts (regions).

Overview

Although Kyiv is the nation's capital and its own administrative region, the city also serves as the administrative center for Kyiv Oblast (province). The oblast entirely surrounds the city. In addition, before 2020 Kyiv also served as the administrative center for the oblast's Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Raion (district).

Sevastopol is also administratively separate from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, retaining its special status from Soviet times as a closed city, serving as a base for the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet. The city was home to the Ukrainian Navy as well as the Russian Black Sea Fleet, although since the Crimean crisis, both Crimea and Sevastopol were annexed by Russia as federal subjects, a move declared illegal by both the Ukrainian government and a majority of the international community.

List of cities

ISO code^[3]	Name	Flag	Coat of arms	Status	Area	Population
UA-30	City of Kyiv			Capital of Ukraine; Administrative center of Kyiv Oblast	839 km² (323.9 sq mi)	2,950,819
UA-40	City of Sevastopol			In 2014, annexed by Russia in violation of various treaties previously signed by Russia.^[4] Considered to be part of the "temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine" for Ukrainian legal purposes.^[5]	1,079 km² (416.6 sq mi)	443,212

Historic predecessors

Similar status existed at times of the Russian Empire and many of them were located on shores of Black Sea. Among the first city municipalities that were established on territory of modern Ukraine in the beginning of 19th century were Odesa, Taganrog and Feodosia.

Odesa (1803–1838, 1856–1920)
Feodosia (1804–1829)
Kerch-Yenikale (1821–1920)
Izmail (1830–1835)
Sevastopol (1872–1920), in 1805–1864 part of Mykolaiv military govtenorate
Mykolaiv (1900–1917), in 1805–1900 as a separate military govtenorate
Yalta (1914–1917)
Taganrog (1802–1887), Taganrog and its vicinities were taken away from Ukraine in 1925 after signing of the 1922 Union treaty.

References

^ "Cities with special status". Chernihiv Center for Professional Development (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
^ Kuibida, Vasyl (18 November 2008). "The concept of reform of the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine. Project". Kyiv Regional Center for International Relations and Business (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
^ "Ukraine Regions". Statoids. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
^ Kappeler, Andreas (2022). Russische Geschichte [Russian History] (in German) (8th ed.). München: C. H. Beck. p. 47. Mit der Annexion der Krim, die in die russische Verwaltung eingegliedert wurde, und mit der Etablierung eines Marionettenregimes in der Ost-Ukraine verletzte Russland mehrere internationale und bilaterale Abkommen, in denen es die Souveränität und territoriale Integrität der Ukraine garantiert hatte. [With the annexation of Crimea, which was incorporated into the Russian administration, and with the establishment of a puppet regime in eastern Ukraine, Russia violated several international and bilateral agreements in which it had guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.]
^ "Закон України від 15.04.2014 № 1207-VII "Про забезпечення прав і свобод громадян та правовий режим на тимчасово окупованій території України"". rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 26 April 2014.