The Legislative Assembly of Kherson elected Vladimir Saldo, who has served as interim head of the region since October 2022, provincial governor.

In turn, Evgeny Balitsky, who was the acting head of the province of Zaporozhye, was also elected permanently.

Likewise, the People’s Councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics approved the candidacies of the interim regional governors, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, respectively.

In late September 2022, four new territories joined Russia after self-determination referendums: the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, which became independent from Ukraine in May 2014, and the provinces of Kherson and Zaporozhye, partially controlled by Russian troops.

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