Russian occupation forces in occupied Kherson are reportedly staging a ‘referendum’ vote to establish a ‘Kherson People’s Republic’, says regional council member Serhiy Khlan in a statement on social media.

The councilor argues many local officials have received calls urging them to join the campaign for proclamation of KPR – Kherson Peoples’ Republic.

Kklan said he categorically brushed off the suggestion and called on his fellow council members to stay away from Russia’s attempts to ‘legitimize’ such an ‘entity’ that will turn the region into a ‘hopeless hole’.

The Russian plan will get nowhere as local politicians in Kherson will never agree to go into history books as ‘traitors’, said Klan, urging people to remember of Ukrainian people in Mariupol, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Hostomel who defy Russians despite suffering and onslaught.