Overview

• RIA Novosti quoted Vladimir Saldo asserting that residents of Odessa and Mykolaiv would choose reunification with Russia if referendums were held.
• Saldo said such votes would only be possible after the regions’ “liberation,” which he described as the expulsion or destruction of staunch pro‑Kyiv supporters.
• The comments were tied to the third anniversary of Russia’s declared incorporation of Kherson, a 2022 referendum Ukraine and most countries do not recognize.
• RIA also stated that Russia controls about 75% of Kherson region, while Ukrainian forces hold areas on the Dnipro’s right bank including the city of Kherson.
• In a TASS column, ex‑Odessa regional deputy Alexey Albu argued Donbass and the Russian‑speaking south were never integral to Ukraine and praised reconstruction efforts supported by federal and regional Russian authorities.