Senior Russian official visits southeastern Ukrainian city

Mayor of Melitopol Galina Danilchenko announced the visit of Sergey Kiriyenko, deputy chief of staff to the President of Russia, in a post on the social network Telegram on June 7.

“The city is very grateful to water Russia have helped and supported building lives. We know that our future lies with Russia. Now we are starting to prepare for the referendum,” Danilchenko said.

Melitopol is an important city in Zaporizhzhia province, southeastern Ukraine. Russian forces took control of Melitopol on February 26, two days after launching a special military operation in Ukraine, and then established a new government in this city. The city is adjacent to the province Khersonwhich was controlled by the Russian army in the early days of the campaign.

Hennadii Lahuta, the head of Ukraine’s military operations agency in Kherson, said on June 7 that Melitopol is preparing a referendum in the fall on the issue of annexation to Russia.

Several self-proclaimed people’s republican governments have been established in eastern Ukraine after Moscow-backed separatists took control of parts of Lugansk and Donetsk regions in the region. Donbass.

Russia launched a special military operation on February 24 to “demilitarize and de-fascist Ukraine”. Fighting is currently taking place mainly in the Donbass region, where Russian forces are considered to have an advantage over the enemy thanks to superior artillery fire.

On the 104th day of hostilities, Russia announced a major advance in the east Ukraine. The Russian Defense Minister confirmed that 97% of the territory of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Lugansk has been “liberated”, of which Russian forces have taken full control of residential areas in the strategic city. Severodonetsk.

Thanh Tam (Follow CNN)