Ukraine war: Kherson referendum suspended, IAEA to stay at nuclear plant, Europe low on weapons
Plans to hold a referendum to annex Ukraine’s Kherson region to Russia have been "paused" due to the ongoing security situation, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-appointed military-civilian regional administration, added that the vital Antonivskyi road bridge, which crosses the Dnipro river near Kherson city, was impassable to cars following weeks of Ukrainian shelling.
Kherson city has been occupied by Russian troops and remains the only regional capital under their control since the beginning of the invasion.
Russian officials had called for referenda to be held this month in occupied regions this month, including neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, to coincide with local elections in Russia.
Last week, Ukraine stated that it had launched a counter-offensive aimed at retaking the region after shelling bridges and ammunition depots for weeks.
Two of the six members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission team are expected to stay at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on a "permanent basis," Ukraine's state nuclear company, Energoatom, stated on Monday.
The Ukrainian power plant was captured by Russia in March but continues to be operated by Energoatom's engineers and supply electricity to Ukraine's grid.
Energoatom reported this decision on its Telegram channel, stating that "four of the six representatives of the IAEA inspection team completed their work at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and left the plant's territory."
This was also confirmed by Russian-installed local official, Vladimir Rogov, in a radio interview on Monday, although he did not provide a specific
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