Kharkiv mayor responds to Belgorod Oblast's head and calls his oblast "Belgorod People's Republic"
![Kharkiv mayor responds to Belgorod Oblast's head and calls his oblast Belgorod People's Republic](https://img.pravda.com/images/doc/a/6/a67f6ec-196877-poland-border-belnaviny.png)
The governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, proposed to join Kharkiv Oblast to his oblast. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov called this proposal delusional.
Source: Nastoyashcheye Vremya ("Current Time")
Details: Gladkov stated that the best way to solve the "problem of shelling" in his region is to "join Kharkiv Oblast [to Belgorod Oblast]".
Quote from Terekhov: "It's funny to hear that. Belgorod Oblast is perceived in Kharkiv exclusively as "BPR" ("Belgorod People's Republic"). Therefore, let the delusions he expressed be a comfort to him."
More details: Terekhov recalled that Russian troops tried to seize Kharkiv from the very beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but they almost completely withdrew from the region in September of last year.
Quote: "For reference, I can remind you that, if you take the population of Belgorod, it is only [the size of] one district of Kharkiv. Also, for a bit of history: once upon a time there was Kharkiv Oblast, which included the city of Belgorod. We will not go into that. But regarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of today, Ukraine is a sovereign state, and Kharkiv is a Ukrainian city – was, is and will be."
Note: In June 1919, Belgorod and the entire territory of the Belgorod district were occupied by the troops of the Armed Forces of Southern Russia – the Voluntary Army of Vladimir May-Mayevsky. Belgorod district was part of the Kharkiv Oblast of Southern Russia until the end of 1919.
Background: In the early fall of 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast and very quickly liberated almost the entire oblast from Russian occupation.
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