This paper is devoted to the analysis of military-administrative transformations carried out on the eve of the Swedish invasion in the «Little Russia». Т1ю problem is considered in the context of criticism of the concept of «the reforms of 1707» proposed by Tatyana Tairova-Yakovleva in order to explain the betrayal of Hetman Ivan Mazepа. It is shown that Tairovа-Yakovleva's conclusions about the «restrictive» nature of «the reforms of 1707» do not correspond to real historical events, and the allegedly «radical» reforms in the Hetmanate were nothing else, but the reform held in the Belgorod District and the Little Russia Military District. These transformations were necessitated by the military needs and did not limit the autonomy of the Hetmanate.