The Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region stated on Wednesday that they want to make a formal request to President Vladimir Putin for the province to be annexed by Russia.

Following the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine on February 24, Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russian soldiers.

According to Russian news outlets, an official in the Moscow-controlled territory, Kirill Stremousov, said, “There will be a request to make the Kherson region a full subject of the Russian Federation.”

Kherson will be fully controlled by Russian law “before the end of the year,” he added.

The Kherson region is located just north of Crimea, which Moscow invaded from Ukraine in 2014, and is critical for supplying drinking and irrigation water to the peninsula.

Putin justified the “special military operation” in Ukraine by claiming that Moscow was protecting the Russian-speaking population.

He stated that Russia has no plans to occupy its pro-Western neighbour.

However, a senior Russian official from the ruling United Russia party stated last week that Russia intends to stay in southern Ukraine “forever.”

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