Russia negotiates with Belarus over Kherson coast under “resort” pretext

The occupation authorities in the Russian-held part of Kherson region are negotiating with Belarus to transfer sections of the Azov-Black Sea coast under the guise of developing resorts.

This is according to the National Resistance Center (NRC), CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

“Volodymyr Saldo, the Moscow-installed head of the region, publicly declared his willingness to grant Belarus part of the Azov-Black Sea coastline supposedly for the construction of sanatoriums and recreation facilities, describing the area as ‘an ideal place for resort development’,” the report says.

The NRC reports that Volodymyr Saldo, the Moscow-installed head of the region, publicly declared his willingness to grant Belarus part of the coastline for building sanatoriums and recreation facilities — calling the area “an ideal place for resort development.”

According to Saldo, discussions on transferring shoreline plots have already taken place.

However, the NRC warns that this rhetoric masks a clear intention to dispose of Ukrainian territory and to involve a third country in controlling it. Its sources say talks with Belarusian organizations have been underway since at least summer 2024.

At closed meetings, occupation officials reportedly discussed specific coastal areas between Henichesk and the Arabat Spit that could be handed over for long-term use.

In private, Saldo frames the potential transfer as a trade for Minsk’s “political loyalty,” which would give Russia a pretext to legitimize Belarusian presence in the region.

According to the NRC, the “resort” narrative is simply a cover story. The territories would in fact serve as dual-use sites — logistics hubs, restricted facilities, and deployment points for Russian and Belarusian security forces. Such activity, it notes, allows the Kremlin to cement military and political control, bring in allied forces, and circumvent international law while entrenching itself on Ukrainian soil.

“The occupiers view Kherson region as a resource zone, with resort rhetoric serving only as a façade for strengthening the military and political presence of allied forces,” the NRC stressed.

As reported, under the Kremlin’s “Effective Region” project, a new structure will oversee the activities of puppet administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.