Ukraine's Kherson & Zaporizhzhya regions prefer integration with Russia: Crimean official

The brutal conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate even after 120 days of warfare, with no signs of a peace deal between the two neighbouring nations. With Russian troops relentlessly attacking Ukrainian cities, it has come to the fore that the situation in Ukrainian territories is worsening. Reports have emerged that the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions are showing a high demand for Russian passports and with this development, it is clear that local residents are supporting accession to Russia, said Crimea's Permanent Representative to the Russian President, Georgy Muradov.

"As for legal processes, the regions need to define their own path. However, I do know that the issuance of Russian passports encouraged people to support the idea of restoring the historic region of Tavria. "It makes it clear that the process of integration with the Russian Crimea—with Russia—will continue," he pointed out," reported Russia's Tass news agency.

This came after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree relaxing rules for granting Russian citizenship to residents of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions. Earlier, on June 11, Russian authorities provided the first passports to the Kherson region’s residents at a ceremony dedicated to Russia Day marked on June 12. As many as 23 Kherson residents were given Russian passports. A move that Ukraine has condemned and called "russification".

Kherson, Zaporizhzhya regions tend to support integration with Moscow: Crimean official

According to TASS, thousands of Ukrainian citizens have applied for a Russian passport, a claim that has not been confirmed by the Russian government. However, Ukraine continues to condemn the Kremlin for carrying out such operations on Ukrainian land. Earlier, the Russian-appointed military governor in Kherson, Volodymyr Saldo, said, "All our Khersonite comrades want to receive the passport and [Russian] citizenship as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, Ukraine fears that Russia will expand this operation in areas seized by the Kremlin's troops in the current invasion.

Russia-Ukraine war

Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered full-scale military action against Ukraine, hostilities between the neighbouring nations have caused massive damage in the war-hit country. Meanwhile, Ukraine has claimed that its armed forces have eliminated at least 34,430 Russian soldiers since the war began on February 24. In addition, they have also destroyed over 1,500 Russian tanks, 756 artillery systems, and 240 MLRS.

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