Russia-Ukraine War: Kherson Region pledges to hold referendum despite Kyiv's warning

Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of Kherson's pro-Russian military-civilian administration, has said that the referendum on the region's accession to Russia will take place despite the Kyiv regime's efforts to intimidate the people of the territory or incite information terror. He argued that the Kyiv authorities are continuously sending fighters even knowing that the useless offensives are killing hundreds of Ukrainian nationalists.

"I would like to comment on the situation around the counterattack, which is constantly being announced by the Ukrainian authorities. We want to say that no matter what you do: criminal responsibility, intimidation, information terror, there will still be a referendum in the Kherson region that will clearly define the region as part of the Russian Federation," Stremousov told in a video message on his Telegram channel, the TASS news agency reported. He further stated that the referendum would be held sooner than later, claiming that Kherson will join the Russian Federation after the outcome of the vote.  "It will be another history, another country," Stremousov remarked. 

Kherson, Zaporizhzhia to hold referendums soon: Russia

Earlier, Stremousov stated that Kherson Region authorities backed Zaporizhzhia's plan to hold a referendum on the same day. He claimed that preparations have already started, especially concerning the electoral commissions. Meanwhile, Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of Zaporizhzhia’s pro-Russian military-civilian administration, has stated that the referendum on the region's accession to Russia will take place in early autumn this year. He claimed that all organizational mechanisms are being put in place for the process. According to Balitsky, he has received several demands from activists, trade union groups, and labour forces to decide Zaporizhzhia's status as soon as possible.

ISW claims Russia might resort to nuclear threats to prevent Ukraine's counteroffensive

Meanwhile, the Institute for Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, claimed that Russia might resort to nuclear threats in an attempt to prevent a counteroffensive from the Ukrainian armed forces. In its report, the ISW warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use nuclear threats to deter a counteroffensive by Ukraine into the annexed regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk. According to the report, such moves would put Ukraine and its allies in danger of a nuclear attack, if Ukrainian counteroffensives to liberate Russian-occupied territories continue.

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