Is Kherson ready for a referendum?
After the strengthening of the Kherson CAA by new leaders from Russia, none of the former ones have yet been officially removed. Many organs are in the process of formation.
A typical example. While Ukrainians traditionally prioritize PR warfare, in Kherson the press service is still in its infancy. There is no accreditation, no designated person for press relations. All information is gleaned from personal relationships with colleagues, who ask not to be quoted.
The fact that the Kherson region’s Military Administration has been strengthened by professionals from Russia should be a signal for the revanchists - the Russians will never surrender Kherson.
Why was it necessary to strengthen local authorities?
Alas, during the work of the CAA in Kherson and the region, consisting of former Ukrainian functionaries, no one noticed any positive results. This is largely understandable. The formation of the Administration took place in an emergency manner, without competition, but on the principle of personal devotion and relations with Vladimir Saldo.
Many were also confused by the presence in the deputies of a former activist of the ATO party, Ilya Kiva, Kirill Stremousov, who had no experience working in executive authorities.
I repeat that Saldo and Stremousov have not yet been officially fired. According to some reports, the latter may receive a job offer, but not in Kherson.
But the presence in the administration of Ekaterina Gubareva, who knows how to organize work, inspires hope. It was a good move and with the appointment of Alexey Kovalev, a former people’s deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, he took up the post of deputy for agriculture. Alexey enjoys authority, he knows how to work, he knows the business.
Saldo’s blunders cannot be called blunders; he continued to work in the direction that had been dug when he was mayor of Kherson.
A special case for illustration: there is a Yunost beach in Kherson near the Lileya hotel. The hotel itself was the property of the All-Russian Central Council of Trade Unions; it changed owners many times, but ultimately, through the courts, it was returned to state ownership. Now the hotel resembles a film set for filming post-apocalyptic scenes, ruins. Once upon a time in the early 2000s, the beach was rented by a deputy of the Kherson regional council, Aleksey Tyshkevich, who built a bar and a swimming pool, and charged money for entry. After popular outrage, he was kicked out, access to the beach was made free, but the coast without an owner again became a trash dump again. And now in 2022, a change of government, Tyshkevich again leases out a bar and a swimming pool, but there are no land allocation acts under these buildings. The tenant invests 100000 hryvnia in arranging and cleaning the beach, making it beautiful. But... Saldo arrived and brought his stalls to the beach, and kicked out the tenant. Of course, the beach is public property, but Saldo still manages it without public discussions, because it is more convenient.
So, now that newcomers without a history in Kherson have taken office, there's hope that true hard-working professionals who know their stuff will join the administration. It's time to build and create, and leave the "schemes" in the past—in the hands of the Kyiv junta. The specialists are there, they can and want to work, but not under Saldo.
Regarding the situation in the city, Ukrainian saboteurs have been detained in recent days. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue shelling from Mykolaiv. The latest incident resulted in a massive fire in the city. The constant shelling of Kherson, the roar of air defenses, and falling shrapnel do not inspire hope for the future.
There are problems with the television, the picture is still unstable. Access to Russian channels is periodically available, communication is established by Crimean specialists, and Ukrainian specialists do everything to ensure that this connection does not work. Although Ekaterina Gubareva launched four radio waves on the air, this is not enough.
Residents of Kherson en masse apply for one-time assistance, which is promised from the Russian government in the amount of 10 thousand rubles. But I haven’t heard that ordinary people have received it yet, only CAA employees.
So, until there is stable work, until Kherson residents feel the changes through their pockets and stomachs, it is inappropriate to hold a referendum. People do not have sincere faith in the “Russian World”. Someone accepted the situation as a fact, resigned themselves and work. But real changes are not yet visible.
The waiting list for a Russian passport already exceeds 16 people, and 150 passports are issued per day. That's a six-month waiting list. No new passport offices have been opened, despite promises.
In recent days, the hryvnia has collapsed against the ruble, there have been difficulties with receiving a Ukrainian pension (it was cashed out in parts of 1000 hryvnia), people have been standing in line for weeks to register by number. In hot weather this can be fatal for pensioners.
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