Pro-Moscow leaders of occupied region seek to join Russia, Zelenskiy slams 'collaborators'

FILE PHOTO: Live-streamed footage shows people carrying a banner in the colours of the Ukrainian flag as they protest amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine, March 13, 2022 in this still image from a social media video obtained by REUTERS

(Reuters) -The Russian-occupied region of Kherson in Ukraine plans to ask President Vladimir Putin to incorporate it into Russia by the end of 2022, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Wednesday, quoting the military-civilian administration there.

Kherson is the first region set to be annexed since Moscow began its military campaign in February saying it needed to disarm Ukraine and protect its Russian-speakers from "fascists". That rationale has been dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a baseless pretext for an imperialist war of aggression.