“Putin has to demonstrate his success by May 9. He will do his best to hold a referendum by any means and say that the ‘people of Kherson region’ proclaimed ‘Kherson People's Republic’ and want to join Russia. It will be presented as one of the victories of the Russian occupation forces in the territory of Ukraine. The next steps could be Zaporizhzhia region… Odesa region… This is Putin's strategy, which he is trying to implement in the territory of the independent states of the former Soviet Union," Vadym Skibitsky, the representative of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said on the air of NV TV channel, the Directorate posted on Telegram.
As noted, the tactics of the occupying power in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are to establish strict control over the territory by law enforcement agencies and to appoint puppets to positions in local authorities who will follow all the Kremlin's instructions.
However, according to a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence, resistance and the active stance of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories may thwart the referendum and all the occupiers' plans to create the so-called “Kherson People's Republic”.
As reported, the Russian military prepares a series of pseudo-referendums to "legalize" the occupation administrations. In particular, according to the Ukrainian intelligence data, a "referendum" to create a pseudo-republic "Kherson People's Republic" and recognize the occupying power in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region is being prepared.
