Russia’s Russian-backed Kherson puppet government has called for Moscow to set up military bases in the region.
On Monday it was reported that the region had begun exporting Ukrainian grain that was harvested last year to Russia.
“We have space to store the new crop, although we have a lot of grain here. Now people are partially harvesting it, after agreeing with those who buy it on the Russian side,” said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the military administration. -civil. , he said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
The official also claimed that his administration was working on supplying sunflower seeds to local and Russian processing plants.
Kyiv has previously accused Russia of stealing its grain from Moscow-controlled territories.
Russia makes gains in Luhansk
It came when it was said that Russian troops had advanced into the center of Severodonetsk, the last Ukrainian-controlled city in Luhansk, half of the Donbas industrial region.
The regional governor of the area warned civilians not to use the main evacuation road, as he described the situation as “very difficult”.
“The enemy has used all possible weapons, used planes … yet our army is firmly defending,” Serhiy Gaidai added in a post to Telegram’s messaging app.
“The Russians are transferring ammunition and equipment in large quantities to the Severodonetsk region.”
Gaidai said two people had been killed, five more injured and 50 houses destroyed by Russian attacks on Sunday.
Russia’s foreign minister has said that expelling the Ukrainian army from the eastern Donbas region remains a “top priority”.