Vladimir Putin visited the bomb-ravaged Ukrainian city of Mariupol in his first visit to occupied territory since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, in what the Kremlin said was a “working visit”.
According to the Russian president, the head of state flew by helicopter into the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, on the shores of the Sea of Azov, which was the scene of violent fighting last year.
President of Russia “Inspect some places in the city and talk to the residents”and drove through the streets of Mariupol with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Kuznulin, who informed him about the progress of construction and reconstruction work.
“It is about the construction of new housing units, social and educational centers, infrastructure and medical institutions,” the Kremlin press office said in a statement, which did not specify the duration of the visit.
Putin then traveled to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine, to meet with Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and several military commanders.
It was the first official visit by a Russian leader to the Donbass region, where fighting has raged with Russian-backed separatist forces since 2014.
On Saturday, Putin made another surprise visit to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.
In early March, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu paid an official visit to Mariupol to inspect the city’s infrastructure reconstruction work.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president for alleged war crimes involving child trafficking in Ukraine.
In his petition, the ICC Attorney General said in his petition to arrest Vladimir Putin that he deported “at least hundreds of children from orphanages and children’s facilities” of Ukrainians to Russia.
Briton Karim Khan accused the deportation of Ukrainian minors to Russia and their adoption by Russian families “demonstrates the intention to permanently remove these children from their home country”, which is in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
The Attorney General also said that such actions were carried out against the backdrop of “acts of aggression” by the Russian military against Ukraine.
The arrest warrant against the Kremlin leader was described by Russia as “legally invalid” because the country does not recognize the ICC’s legitimacy.
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