Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russia-installed administration of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, said he “plans to request annexation by Moscow.”
In a televised briefing, Stremousov said, “The city of Kherson is Russia; there will be no the KNR [Kherson People’s Republic] on the territory of the Kherson region, there will be no referendums,” adding, “It will be a single decree based on the appeal of the leadership of the Kherson region to the president of the Russian Federation, and there will be a request to make [Kherson] into a full-fledged region of the Russian Federation.”
"Kherson is #Russia, there will be no Kherson People's Republic, there will be no referendums. There will be one decree based on our appeal to Vladimir Putin and there will be a request to introduce region into the Russian Federation", said occupying authorities of #Kherson. pic.twitter.com/gVFqyCCsYO
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 11, 2022
In another sign of integration with Russia, Stremousov said the region would start using the ruble, Russia’s official currency, by establishing a bank that will later be integrated with the Bank of Russia. Russia has also introduced its media and internet services in the region.
Reaffirming their support, Russian officials who visited Kherson vowed not to abandon the region. The Secretary-General of Russia’s United Russia party, Andrei Turchak, declared, “Russia is here to stay forever. There should be no doubt about it. There will be no return to the past.”
Kirill Stremousov states that #Kherson region intends to become part of #Russia. He noted that this will not happen in the near future:
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 12, 2022
"The timing of the preparation of the appeal has not yet been outlined. But it's not a matter of the next few days, but the foreseeable future". pic.twitter.com/CQC41OZjy4
When questioned about Kherson’s integration with Russia, however, Turchak said, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In any case, the status will be determined by the residents.”
In a similar vein, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said it is up to the residents of the Kherson region to appeal and determine their fate, adding that such an appeal would have to be assessed by lawyers and legal experts to legitimise it, as it was done with Crimea.
In contrast, Ukrainian officials said they would recapture the Kherson region before any annexation took place. Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said, “The invaders may ask to join even Mars or Jupiter. The Ukrainian army will liberate Kherson, no matter what games with words they play.”
Furthermore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Kherson residents against sharing personal information such as passport numbers, which Russia could use to falsify votes if it decided to hold a referendum in the Kherson region. Fearing a Crimea-like situation, Zelensky said, “it fits in with Russia’s plans of breaking Ukraine apart by creating pseudo-republics throughout the country.”
Russia occupied Kherson in March and took control of its city council building in late April. Kherson, a Black Sea port city, is strategically important for Russia to access the Russia-controlled regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. The region lies north of Crimea, which was annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014.
The situation in Kherson region, the only part of Ukraine Russia has managed to occupy and hold since February 24, is very dire. People, loyal to Ukraine, are kidnapped, tortured in secret prisons. Food and medicines are lacking. Escape routes are almost closed
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) May 11, 2022
If Russia annexes Kherson, it would effectively eliminate the already slim possibility of a peace agreement, as Zelensky has said that the withdrawal of Russian troops to pre-war positions is essential for any successful negotiations. In this regard, Russia could use the potential annexation of Kherson to pressure Ukraine into making other concessions, such as control over the Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, Moldova and Georgia are worried about similar annexations taking place in their own Russia-backed breakaway territories—Transnistria and South Ossetia, respectively.