This is further evidence of the Kremlin's expansion into southern Ukraine.
The Russian army announced on Tuesday that it had connected the entire Kherson region to Russian television channels which will now be accessible “free of charge” in this region conquered by Moscow.
"Specialists from Russian Armed Forces transmission units have connected and reconfigured to broadcast Russian channels the last of seven television transmitters in the Kherson region," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
He specifies that about one million inhabitants of the region now have “free” access to the main Russian channels, in particular those of the public audiovisual group VGTRK, which actively relays the Russian line.
Bordering the annexed peninsula of Crimea, the region of Kherson was conquered by the Russian army from the first days of its offensive against Ukraine launched at the end of February.
This region is now fully occupied by the Russians.
A policy of Russification
Moscow is pursuing a policy of Russification of the territories that have fallen under its control in southern Ukraine: the Russian currency, the rouble, has been introduced and Russian passports are beginning to be distributed.
On Tuesday, one of the new pro-Russian officials of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremoussov, said that this territory could be attached to Russia "before the end of the year".
“We are going to have a referendum this year.
And at the end of this referendum, we will address the leaders of the Russian Federation so that they accept us within Russia”, affirmed Kirill Stremoussov, quoted by the public press agency TASS.