In the third month of the ongoing military operation in Ukraine, Russian forces have completely occupied the southern Kherson region of the country. Russia’s Defense Ministry says its forces have “liberated” the entire Kherson region of southern Ukraine. This information was given by the Russian news agency Interfax. However, the city of Kherson was captured by Russian forces in early March.
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On the other hand, the British media BBC could not independently confirm this claim of the Russian Ministry of Defense. However, a local military official in Ukraine said on Tuesday that the Russian military had appointed a new head of the (Kherson) regional administration, as well as a city council, at the same time.
On October 26, 2021, Hennadi Lahuta was appointed Governor of Kherson by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. In a telegram, he said, “Yesterday, the occupiers occupied the entire premises of Kherson City Council. From there, they removed all Ukrainian symbols and signs and appointed their own guards.
Kherson Mayor Ihol Kolikayev, meanwhile, said he had refused to co-operate with the new administration, appointed by the Russian military. “I am staying in Kherson and I am with the residents of Kherson who gave me the responsibility of running the city more than 18 months ago,” he said in a Facebook post.
Earlier, in the first week of March, Russia occupied Kherson, one of the main cities and port city of Ukraine. Kherson was also the first major Ukrainian city to be occupied by Russian troops. About two months later, Russia occupied the entire territory of Kherson.
The city of Kherson, with a population of about 300,000, is a major victory for Moscow, which has been occupied by the Russian military. The city will also be an important base for the Russian military.
The city will also be connected to Odessa, another large port city further inland and west along the coast. The city of Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and an industrial center.
