Serhiy Khlan [uk], deputy leader of the Kherson Oblast Council, claimed that the Russian military had called all the members of the council and asked them to cooperate.[21] Lyudmyla Denisova, Ombudsman of Ukraine, stated that the referendum would be illegal because "under Ukrainian law any issues over territory can only be resolved by a nationwide referendum".[22] Later that day, the Kherson Oblast Council passed a resolution stating that the proposed referendum would be illegal.[23]