Kyiv: The Russian-installed authorities in the occupied regions of Ukraine have postponed the plans of conducting a referendum amidst the fight back from Ukraine. Owing to the security reasons, the referendum has been ‘paused’ , said the senior Russian military administration representative in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov.
He stated, “we will pause for now” despite preparing for a referendum due to “all the events that are occurring”, amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive. However, he later refuted his own statements, saying that the move “was not a pause” because no precise date had been set. The referendum will take place no matter what. No one will cancel it.”
From the very beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kherson and southern regions of Zaporizhzhia have been under the control of the Russian military. These territories are now being forced to integrate into its economy, as happened in the Crimean annexation of 2014.
This referendum is intended to legalise the rule of the Russian troops over the territory. The city of Kherson has been largely under the control of the Russian army. However, the Ukrainian army has launched a counter-offensive from the last few days.
The Ukrainian troops claimed to have successfully captured back several regions and a pontoon bridge, an ammunition depot and a Russian army control centre.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced on Sunday about the recapture of the two Ukrainian villages back from the Russian military. However, the names haven’t been made public by the President.
