Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, Russian state media reported on Monday, his first visit to the Russian-occupied Donbas region of Ukraine since the start of the war with Ukraine. Vladimir Putin made an unannounced trip to Crimea yesterday to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula’s annexation to Russia, Reuters reported.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin just two days ago.
Maribor fell to Russia in May after the longest and bloodiest battle since the start of the war, Russia’s first major victory since failing to capture Kiev and focusing instead on the country’s southeast.
Several Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying Putin flew to Maribor by helicopter, the closest Putin has been to a front line in the year-long war. Putin drove around the Maripolski district, stopping to talk to residents from time to time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made several trips to the field to galvanize troops and discuss strategy, but Putin spends most of his time in the Kremlin as Russia conducts what they call a “special military operation.”
According to Russian media reports, Putin visited a family in the Nevsky district of Maribor.
Russian media also reported that Putin had met with top Russian military generals in charge of operations in Ukraine, including Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
