The Kremlin did not specify the date of Putin’s visit to the regions of Kherson (south) and Luhansk (east), which he announced annexation in September last year, although his forces do not fully control them.
The Russian president sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Ukrainian forces announced that they were preparing a counter-attack during the spring.
And the advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhailo Podolyak, considered Putin’s visit “a special tour for the godfather of mass killings … to enjoy for the last time the crimes of his followers.”
After Putin’s visit was announced on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces had shelled a central market area in Kherson, injuring six people.
Last year, Russia suffered defeats in the north and south, while Moscow’s forces did not achieve additional gains except in eastern Ukraine.
The bulk of the battles are now concentrated in the vicinity of the town of Bakhmut (east), where the longest and bloodiest battle takes place during the conflict.
During his visit to Ukraine, Putin met with Russian military leaders and discussed the situation on several fronts, according to the Kremlin.
Recorded footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin descending from a helicopter during his visit to the headquarters of the Dnipro military forces in the Kherson region.
He also visited the headquarters of the National Guard in Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine.
“I am interested in hearing your opinions on the situation, listening to you and exchanging information,” Putin said in the video, in which he appeared surrounded by senior military leaders.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin congratulated the military in the two regions on the occasion of Easter, which the Orthodox celebrated on Sunday, and gave them “copies of icons.”
His visit to Kherson and Luhansk came after the Kremlin reported in March that the Russian president had made a surprise visit to the port city of Mariupol, which Moscow seized following a long siege last spring.
“slow progress”
On Tuesday, British military intelligence spoke of ongoing “violent battles” along the front line in Donbass.
“There is a realistic possibility that Russia will reduce troop numbers and ease attacks around Donetsk city, most likely in order to divert resources towards the Bakhmut sector,” it said in a statement on Twitter.
The statement pointed out that Russian regular soldiers and forces from the Wagner Group continue to make “slow progress”.
“The seam line in the city center largely coincides with the main railway line,” the statement read.
He added that Ukraine was seeking “to free up an offensive force, while Russia is likely looking to regenerate an operational reserve.”
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Sersky, said that the Russian forces will not abandon the goal of controlling Bakhmut, “whatever the price,” while the air and artillery bombardment intensified.
For his part, the director of the Ukrainian President’s office, Andriy Yermak, indicated that he had spoken to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“We agreed to strengthen cooperation on the issue of providing aid in Ukraine and discussed further steps in this direction,” he said on Telegram.
