Kherson region plans referendum on joining Russia - Ukraine Update

Vladimir Putin has warned that his country's offensive in Ukraine has barely begun. He's also accused the West of fueling the war, declaring that western efforts to defeat him would bring tragedy to Ukraine. The Russian president was addressing parliamentary leaders.

Russian forces now dominate Ukraine's eastern and southern cities. Back in June, the occupying administration in Kherson announced that there would be a referendum on joining Russia - though no date has been announced.

Many residents won't be around to vote - tens of thousands are believed to have left for Ukrainian-controlled territory since the city fell. Since it's all-but impossible for independent Western journalists to report from there, DW’s Nick Connolly got in touch with two locals, who told him about life under occupation.