The first 23 Russian passports have been issued in the Kherson region, including to Vladimir Saldo, the head of the region's administration, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.

"This is a historic event for us. The confirmation of Russian citizenry was solemnly received in the Kherson Region. This is the most important document that exists in a person's life," the official told Sputnik.

Sergey Moroz, a press secretary of the military-civilian administration of Kherson, explained that the issuing of the passports has been timed to coincide with the coming celebration of Russia Day on Sunday.

The Russian troops have taken control of the Kherson Region and part of the Zaporozhye region in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Local military-civilian administrations have been formed, the broadcasting of Russian TV channels and radio stations has been launched, and trade ties with Crimea are being restored. The regions have announced plans to become constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Kherson returning to Ukraine "is out of the question"

Kirill Stremousov, deputy chairman of the regional military-civilian administration, had told Sputnik that the Kherson Region intends to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to make the region part of Russia after all integration processes are completed.

Stremousov had stressed that "the issue of returning the Kherson Region back to Nazi Ukraine is out of the question. This is impossible."

He underscored that "The Kherson Region will develop economically. Kiev will no longer be able to impose on our land its ugly Nazi policy, aimed at destroying people and their identity."

It is noteworthy that late last month, Russian investigators arrived in Kherson to launch a probe into alleged cases of torture in the region perpetrated by Ukrainian militants, as well as the shelling of the area via Tochka-U missiles.