Russia is preparing to identify specific locations for holding so-called referendums in the temporarily occupied territories.

"We also know that Russia is preparing to identify specific places for holding so-called referendums. That is, Russia does not abandon these plans, despite the fact that it has not yet managed to do so. It failed because the Ukrainian state is working and fighting the temporary occupation by various methods that we cannot talk about publicly," Maliar said at a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center on Thursday.

According to her, Russia also continues its barbaric activities in the temporarily occupied territories relative to the Ukrainian population. "In fact, this is a terror tactic," the deputy minister stressed.

According to Maliar, Ukraine is aware that Russia is stepping up activities aimed at the socio-economic and political integration of the temporarily occupied territories in the Russian Federation, and it is also known that Russia is solving its food and demographic problems at the expense of the temporarily occupied territories.

"We also know that representatives of the Russian authorities, including central and regional authorities, visit the temporarily occupied territories, and they are preparing for practical integration measures, trying to carry out approximately the actions they performed in 2014 regarding the temporarily occupied territories," the Deputy Defense Minister said.