According to Kirill Stremosov, deputy leader of the new pro-Moscow administration in the region, the “borders” were closed for “security reasons”. “We advise against any travel to Ukraine, regardless of motivation,” he said.
The blockade covered the borders with Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk provinces, under Ukrainian control. However, it is possible to visit Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, and areas of the neighboring province of Zaporizhzhya that was conquered by Moscow.
The Kherson province has already started using the ruble with the Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, and its new government plans to apply for membership in the Russian Federation.
Kherson is located at the mouth of the Dniepro River, the gateway to the Crimea, and was conquered by Russia at the very beginning of the invasion. Due to its strategic position, it could be used as a base for a possible offensive against Ukraine’s main port city, Odessa. (ANSA).
