As explained by Saldo, Moscow completely dominates the left bank of the Dnieper, where 13 of the province’s 18 districts and well over half of its population are located.
Also under Russian control, the governor added, is the western part of the Kinburn coast, with several towns that used to be part of Ukraine’s Nikolaev province.
“We will not rest until we have liberated the entire province of Kherson, especially the city of the same name. To achieve this, a military operation, the appropriate orders from military commanders and, most importantly, instructions from the political leadership are required,” he said.
Kherson seceded from Ukraine at the end of September and joined Russia, following a referendum in which a majority of the population – more than 87 percent – supported the option.
On the same day, after holding similar referendums, the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk and the province of Zaporozhye acceded to Russia.
On November 11, to avoid a siege, Russian troops left the city of Kherson for the left bank of the Dnieper, and since then Genichesk has been the temporary administrative center of the region.
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