A Kremlin official has promised to revive the occupied southern Ukrainian region of Kherson by rebuilding roads, bridges and buildings destroyed by Russian troops. Visiting the Russian-occupied region on Tuesday, Vice Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin told pro-Kremlin TV channel Crimea 24 that money had already been allocated to the project.Khusnullin said that rebuilding destroyed parts of the city would be Russia’s first priority, but that Moscow was also specifically interested in supporting Kherson’s agriculture sector.“We do believe that Kherson has bright prospects and a decent place in our Russian family,” Khusnullin told Crimea 24. “There is no need to be afraid of anything.

We will continue to live and work together.” Russian troops gained control over Kherson in late April.

The port city now uses Russian rubles rather than Ukrainian hryvnias, and Russian forces have installed a pro-Moscow “military-civilian administration.”Earlier in May, the city was visited by the head of ruling United Russia party, Andrey Turchak.He said that Russians would remain in Kherson “for a long time.”