He believed that the Kyiv-Kherson teleconference on 18 September 2004, which was attended by Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, was inappropriate to be held on the City Day, which was celebrated on that day.

After Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Saldo took a pro-Russian stance. On 13 March, he took part in a Russian rally in Kherson. Later, he stated that he did not support the creation of the so-called 'people's republic' in the Kherson region, and came to the rally to disrupt it.

In March 2014, as a member of the Ukrainian parliament, he assisted the Russians in the annexation of Crimea, thus making his pro-Russian position public.

After Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Saldo attended a Russian rally in Kherson on 13 March 2022. Later, he stated that he did not support the creation of the so-called "people's republic" in the Kherson region and came to the rally to disrupt it.

Following Saldo's participation in the pro-Russian rally, the head of the Kherson Regional Council's 'Volodymyr Saldo Bloc' faction, Valeriy Lytvyn, sent a letter to the first deputy head of the regional council, Yuriy Sobolevsky. The letter states that the deputies do not agree with Saldo's actions and will continue to work in the regional council as part of the group 'Supporting the programmes of the President of Ukraine'.

Saldo took part in a meeting of the collaborationist governmental body 'Rescue Committee' in Kherson. Olga Spivakina, a member of the city council, published Saldo's explanation, stressing that he was forced to take part in the meeting. On 17 March, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine opened proceedings for high treason related to the creation of a pseudo-authority in Kherson region. In particular, Sald is suspected.

On 26 April, he is appointed head of the Russian occupation administration of Kherson.

On 14 June 2022, the Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the ban on the activities of the Vladimir Saldo Bloc in Ukraine. In June 2022, he received Russian citizenship from the temporary occupation administration of Kherson.

On 5 August 2022, due to his deteriorating health, he was taken to Crimea and put into a medically induced coma. On 6 August, he was taken to Moscow and admitted to the intensive care unit of the toxicology department of the N.N. Sklifosovsky Institute. On 12 September, Saldo posted a video explaining his absence: he was under the supervision of "serious doctors"; he also said that he was working on the budget.

On 19 September 2022, it became known that he had returned to Kherson. He took part in a pseudo-referendum "in favour of joining the Russian Federation".

On 18 November 2022, according to the owner of the Taigan zoo, Oleh Zubkov, it became known that Saldo had initiated the export of animals from the Kherson zoo to the Russian-occupied Crimea.

On 9 May 2023, he recorded an appeal in Ukrainian to Ukrainian soldiers, saying that "we are mostly relatives, not enemies" and urged them to remember that "our fathers and grandfathers are the same". This statement was ridiculed on social media.