Kherson's Authorities Urge UN to Guarantee Right to Self-Determination Via Referendum

SIMFEROPOL, Russia (Sputnik) - The authorities of the Kherson Region have called on the UN to guarantee the right of local residents to self-determination by conducting a referendum, Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the region's administration, told Sputnik on Friday.

"The UN was created to guarantee security and peace, therefore it is obliged to guarantee the right of people to self-determination. This is one of the basic principles of international law, which is proclaimed in the UN Charter and embodied in international declarations and conventions," Stremousov said.

He believes that the UN is not fulfilling its obligations in this aspect.

"The UN does nothing to stop conflicts or simply ignores them. It seems that this is beneficial to someone," Stremousov added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is on a two-day visit to Ukraine, where he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Lvov. On Friday, he is expected to visit Odessa.

The Kherson Region and most of the Zaporozhye Region of Ukraine are now controlled by the Russian military as a result of the special operation that began on February 24, after the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics requested help from Russia amid intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Local administrations have already been formed in the two regions with Russian TV channels and radio stations broadcasting and trade and transport links with Crimea being restored. Both regional administrations have announced plans to hold referendums for accession to Russia.