Ukraine Mines Kherson Port's Only Exit To Black Sea - Kherson Region Authorities

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Ukraine Mines Kherson Port's Only Exit to Black Sea - Kherson Region Authorities

Operation of the Kherson commercial port is being blocked since Ukraine has mined its access to the Black Sea, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the regional military-civilian administration, told Sputnik

SIMFEROPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2022) Operation of the Kherson commercial port is being blocked since Ukraine has mined its access to the Black Sea, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the regional military-civilian administration, told Sputnik.

"Currently, the Kherson port cannot be exploited, given that the only exit to the Black Sea has been mined at the Dnieper-Bug estuary in the area of the port of Ochakov in Mykolaiv region," Stremousov said.

He noted that, at the moment, it is "virtually impossible" to get access to the commercial port and launch its operation, with commercial shipping on the Dnieper River also being suspended. Only when Ochakov and the entire Mykolaiv region "are fully protected" from Ukrainian forces, the port's functioning will be restored, Stremousov said.

The Kherson Region does not seek independence, the official said.

"We have no plans to be a separate, independent republic. Our Primary goal is to become part of Russia," Stremousov said.

There is no referendum in the plans anytime soon, however. First because "the Western countries would not recognize it anyways, so holding it now would be a waste of time," Stremousov said. Second because the region's immediate task is to recover peaceful life and make a transition to Russian legal norms, he added.

During its military operation in Ukraine, Russia captured the entire Kherson Region in the south of the country and part of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Region and established military-civilian administrations there. Russian tv channels and radio stations began broadcasting there, the Russian ruble was proclaimed as Currency used alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia, and attempts are being made to restore trade ties with Crimea.