From 2h ago
07.17 GMT
Putin visits occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol
Vladimir
Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, Russian state media reported on
Sunday, in the Kremlin leader’s first trip to the Russian-occupied territories
of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since the start of the war.
Reuters
reported that the visit came after Putin travelled to Crimea on Saturday in an
unannounced visit to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the
peninsula from Ukraine, and just two days after the international criminal
court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest.
Mariupol,
which fell to Russia in May after one of the war’s longest and bloodiest
battles, was Russia’s first major victory after it failed to seize Kyiv and
focused instead on south-eastern Ukraine.
Putin flew
by helicopter to Mariupol, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Kremlin.
It is the closest to the frontlines Putin has been in the year-long war.
Driving a car, Putin travelled around several districts of the city in the
Donetsk region, making stops and talking to residents.
Vladimir
Putin, centre, during his visit to Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday
Vladimir
Putin, centre, during his visit to Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday. Photograph:
EyePress News/Rex/Shutterstock
The
Organisation for Security and Cooperation and Europe said Russia’s early bombing
of a maternity hospital in Mariupol was a war crime.
The
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has made a number of trips to the
battlefield to boost troop morale and discuss strategy, but Putin has largely
remained inside Russia during the war.
Russian
media reported on Sunday that Putin also met with the top command of his
military operation in Ukraine, including Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general
staff.
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