The South Ukrainian city Kherson will soon become a part of Russia, the region’s self-proclaimed governor said.
The announcement was made at a first meeting in the city with the occupying forces backed by Russian collaborators. Governor Volodymyr Saldo said: “We see the Russian Federation as our own country,” stating that the new budget for Kherson has been approved in Russian rubles.
Meanwhile, Russia on 24th February launched the war on Ukraine. And, according to the latest updates, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the Donbas, where Russia is now concentrating its main effort, has been “completely destroyed”. Russia has said a further 771 Ukrainian troops have “surrendered” at Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steelworks, bringing the total number to 1,730 this week, while the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had started registering the Ukrainian prisoners of war who left the plant. It is not clear how many remain at the plant. Also, Russia’s promise to use lasers to shoot down drones in Ukraine has prompted widespread scepticism that the novel and possibly nuclear-powered weaponry could be deployed on the battlefield or have any significant impact on the war.