Ukraine’s Kherson Region, currently occupied by Russia, plans to switch to the “ruble zone” from May 1, Kirill Stremousov, an official appointed by Russian occupation forces in the region, told state news agency RIA Novosti.
According to Stremousov, the transition period will last for up to four months, with both ruble and Ukraine’s hryvnia used in this period. “Then, we will fully switch to the ruble,” he said.
Stremousov is a pro-Russian activist. RIA Novosti reported earlier that he had been appointed “deputy chief of the military-civil administration” of the Kherson Region on April 27. On the same day, Russian occupation forces appointed former mayor of Kherson Volodymyr Saldo as the region’s head and Oleksandr Kobets as mayor of Kherson.
Earlier, Operational Command South of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that the Russian “government” that occupied Kherson “started preparations” for the “referendum” on the creation of the so-called “Kherson People’s Republic” setting the date for April 27. Meduza sources informed, however, that the “referendum” might take place in mid-May.
Meanwhile, Stremousov stated that the main goal of the new “government” is to recover the region’s economy, and that “no referendums are planned.”
In the early hours of April 28, missiles were fired near Kherson’s TV station. Reportedly, Russian TV channels could not be accessed in the region shortly after the strike, however, the signal was recovered soon, Ukrainian media report. Kherson has been under de facto Russian occupation since March 2.
