Kherson region in southern Ukraine is on its way to normalization

South Front – To this day, artillery attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (FAU) and the Russian Army in the border areas of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions continue. However, no successful offensive operations were carried out by the sides. The Russian Armed Forces are attacking targets in Mykolaiv and south of Nikopol with cruise missiles and respond to any FAU strikes with artillery. Meanwhile, the city of Kherson, which is under Russian control, has returned to normal, local businesses are working, slowly restoring ties with the Republic of Crimea as well as other Russian regions. Civilians receive significant help from Russia.

Russian troops took control of the town of Kherson on March 2 with almost no street fighting. The city is currently preparing to rebuild and reopen factories. Companies will continue to work in Kherson.

Security operations continue in the city and region.

On April 21, special forces from the Russian Federal Security Service invaded the area around Kherson. As a result of the special operation, weapons were found in several private homes. The FAU army had left ammunition in the buildings of local residents during their retreat. The operation was carried out using the FTA-5901 “Viking”, an armored vehicle based on the KAMAZ-4911 “Extreme”. The KAMAZ “Extreme” is a special version for the Dakar rally, while the “Viking” is an armored version weighing 22 tons.

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Previously, Russian military discovered the headquarters of the so-called Ukrainian territorial defense in a local school. During their surrender, the FAU left ammunition, medical supplies, weapons and equipment there. The school principal said Ukrainian armed forces dressed in civilian uniforms occupied the school on February 24. They immediately brought boxes and equipment to the building and ordered the school administration to leave.

Russian security forces also discovered a cache of weapons and ammunition at the “Pallada” military factory in Kherson, presumably left behind by the Ukrainian Security Service.

Some of the members of the Ukrainian territorial defense voluntarily surrender their weapons to the Russian military. A large number of weapons and explosives were distributed to local civilians in February. They were called to fight the Russian army. As a result, many of them are still armed. The disarmament of civilians in the region continues.

One man turned over all the weapons provided to him by the FAU and called on other former members of territorial defense to follow his example. During his interview, he also called for an end to the bloodshed between the brother Slavic peoples and confirmed that the situation in the region is calm, Russian soldiers are polite and people should not trust the news released by Kiev authorities.

On April 20, pro-Russian blogger Vladimir Kuleshov was killed in Kherson. One of the leading Ukrainian nationalist propagandists, Anton Gerashchenko, confirmed the blogger’s murder. Citing anonymous sources, he claimed that the victim helped Russian forces.

Kherson is slowly returning to a peaceful life. The industrial sector is on the way to renewing local production, agricultural works have resumed. However, security in the city is still threatened as caches of weapons and ammunition are still being discovered, which poses considerable danger to civilians who share different political views. The situation in Kherson is an example that should be compared to the city of Mariupol and the Kiev region. Despite some battles in the region at the start of the operation, no one accused Russian troops of genocide and the city was not damaged.

At the same time, the region faces a political vacuum as it is unclear what Moscow’s plans are in the region. Russia will not allow the Kiev regime to regain control of the region because it is of strategic importance. At the same time, the Kremlin and local authorities have yet to clarify the future of the region.

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