KHERSON, August 15. /TASS/. More than 12,000 people have already filed for Russian citizenship in the Kherson Region, with the majority of those already holding Russian passports, Yekaterina Gubareva, a deputy head of the region’s military-civilian administration, told TASS.

"At the moment, there is a very large number of those who would like to obtain Russian citizenship. More than 12,000 applications for Russian citizenship are currently being processed - those have either received a [Russian] passport already, or are waiting to get one," she said in an interview with TASS.

According to Gubareva, the number of passport application centers has increased, with those already available in Kherson, Novaya Kakhovka, Aleshki, Golaya Pristan and Skadovsk.

The Kherson Region is located in southern Ukraine and borders Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry announced in mid-March that Russian troops had taken full control of the region. A military-civilian administration was formed there in late April. The regional authorities later announced plans to join Russia.