Russia Formalizes Annexation of Occupied Kherson: "Originally Our Land, Will Rule Forever"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Russia has formalized plans to annex the southern Kherson Oblast, which it occupied after invading Ukraine, into its own territory.

Sputnik News, a representative state-run media outlet that speaks for the Russian government, reported on the 7th (local time) the annexation plan citing a senior Russian official governing Kherson Oblast.

Kiril Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson civil-military administration, said, "We plan to live as part of the Russian Federation, and in terms of development speed, it will be similar to the Crimean Peninsula." He added, "No one will be forced, but the regions that originally belonged to Russia should return to their original culture and values."

Kherson is a strategic point located on the route from the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, to the Ukrainian mainland and the eastern Donbas region.

Politicians from Russia's ruling party also mentioned the annexation plan. This is the first time a senior Russian official has officially expressed the intention to annex Kherson.

According to another state-run media outlet, TASS News Agency, Andrey Turchak, Secretary of the United Russia Party Congress (equivalent to Secretary-General) and Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, visited Kherson on the 6th and said, "Russia is here forever, and there can be no doubt about this," adding, "There will be no return to the past, and we will live together and develop this prosperous oblast."

He stated, "The United Russia Party will open a humanitarian center in Kherson to assist with the provision of humanitarian supplies," and announced that ahead of the Victory Day commemorating the end of World War II on the 9th, gifts and consolation money from President Vladimir Putin will be given to veterans.

Western intelligence agencies continue to raise concerns that Russia is manipulating public opinion to push for the annexation of occupied territories within Ukraine.

It is expected that the eastern Donbas region will undergo a formal procedure in the form of a referendum in mid-September to be annexed. Similar methods may be applied to occupied areas such as the southeastern port city of Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast and Kherson Oblast. Using referendums as a basis to incorporate occupied territories into its own territory is the method Russia used when annexing Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.