Honey is sweet, but the bees sting: Russia decided not to press on expanding its territory by joining Kherson oblast

Russia’s aspiration to compulsively absorb new and new territories can’t be fulfilled so easily as it used to be in the last centuries. Now they have to look back at possible consequences, however very reluctantly. Hence the empire slowed down its expansion and not yet outlined plans for the Ukrainian Kherson oblast. 

Back on May 09, the principal Kherson gauleiter of the so-called Kherson regional military and civic administration head Vladimir Saldo claimed that the Kherson oblast wouldn’t be a part of the Crimea, but it could become a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation. 

“These are all talks behind the scenes. There are no official talks and plans. Maybe it’s just my guess. The new constituent entity including Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts will be created, but the oblast will stay in its border limits”, TASS shares citing Saldo.  

It has come to our knowledge that the Kherson “new power” chose to become Russia’s constituent entity, however the referendum won’t be convened (refusal to hold the referendum was voiced earlier). 

“Kherson is Russia. No Kherson People’s Republic will be created. No referendums will be held. It will be one single decree based on the appeal of Kherson oblast administration to the Russian president. We will request the President to join Kherson oblast to one of the regions of the Russian Federation”, the so-called deputy of the military and civic administration Kirill Stremousov states.  

According to him, it does not make any sense to hold a referendum because the results of the Crimean one weren’t recognized by the world community.  

The Kreml has promptly commented on today’s statement of the Kherson administration assigned by Russia about their desire to join the Russian Federation. 

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims that residents have to make this decision: “This issue should be scrutinized by legal experts. Such fateful decisions should have solid legal ground. They should be legitimate as they used to be with Crimea.”

Leaving aside the Kreml vision of what legitimacy is about as aired by Peskov, it should be noted that Putin’s spokesman refers to people not to officials. By the sound of things, the Kreml suspects that Kherson residents will not support the idea of becoming the constituent entity of the Russian Federation. 

Interestingly enough what would happen if the population of the territories integrated into the empire earlier could also voice their opinion.  

“Russia asks the population how and where they want to live. They only ask the Ukrainian population. Why don’t they ask the population in Belgorod, Kaliningrad, Sakhalin and many others how and where they want to live”, Russian physicist, philosopher, writer and activist Vera Afanaseva speculates.