An official from Russia’s powerful FSB security services took over the government of the Moscow-occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Kremlin-installed authorities have said.
Sergei Yeliseyev, until now the deputy head of government in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, “became head of the government in the Kherson region”, said Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian occupational administration.
His government takes office today, he added.
A graduate of the FSB Academy, 51-year-old Mr Yeliseyev served in the security services in unspecified functions, according to the Kaliningrad region website.
Alexei Kovalev, a former Ukrainian lawmaker who has switched to Russia’s side in the conflict and survived an assassination attempt in June, was appointed as Mr Yeliseyev’s deputy.
“Ukraine is forever in the past for the Kherson region. Russia is here forever,” the Moscow-installed authorities said on Telegram.
Kherson city, which lies close to Moscow-annexed Crimea, was the first major city to fall to Russian forces since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine in February.
