Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the residents of the russian-occupied settlements for refusing to collaborate with the enemy.
He stated this in a video message.
"In the south of our country, the occupiers are trying to demonstrate at least something that can be presented in russia as the alleged readiness of Ukrainians to collaborate with russian structures. It looks pathetic. After 55 days of war, the occupiers managed to draw to their side only some reprobates. The situation is clear: in all regions of our state people support Ukrainian national unity. They support our national statehood," the President said.
Zelenskyy noted that he was grateful to all the residents of the temporarily occupied cities - Kherson, Kakhovka, Melitopol, and all our other communities - for this clear position.
"No collaboration with the occupiers. No support for collaborators. The more principled we are, the more principled you are, the sooner normal life will return," he said.
The russian military is preparing a number of "referendums" in the occupied settlements. In the Kherson region, they are already printing ballots, forms, brochures, posters, and booklets for voting in the "referendum" on the creation of a false “Kherson People’s Republic”. In the city of Snihurivka in the Mykolaiv region inhabitants are urged to come to voting sites at a specific time. And in the occupied city also called Snihurivka of the Zaporizhzhia region the russian forces have begun a "census" of persons of retirement age.