On December 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, sparking outrage from Ukrainian officials and the international community. As tensions continue to simmer between the neighboring nations, this visit can be seen as a pointed move by Putin to assert Russia’s influence over the disputed territories of Eastern Ukraine. In this article, we will examine the significance of Putin’s visit to Mariupol and its implications for the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under Russian occupation since Moscow illegally annexed it in September. This is Putin’s first trip to Ukrainian territory since the annexation. Mariupol became a symbol of resistance after Ukrainian forces held out in a steel mill there for almost three months before Moscow finally took control in May. Putin arrived in Mariupol by helicopter, according to Russian state news agencies, and toured the city’s “memorial sites,” concert hall, coastline, and Nevskyi district.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin accusing him of war crimes just days before his visit. However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnulin said that Russia is in Mariupol to stay. He also mentioned that the government hopes to finish the reconstruction of the damaged city center by the end of the year. The population of Mariupol was around 450,000 before the war, but when Moscow fully captured the city in May, an estimated 100,000 people remained trapped without food, water, heat, or electricity.
Mariupol’s plight first became well known after a Russian air strike hit a maternity hospital on March 9, 2020, less than two weeks after Russian troops moved into Ukraine. A week later, about 300 people were reported killed in the bombing of a theater that was serving as the city’s largest bomb shelter. Evidence obtained by the AP last spring suggested that the real death toll could be closer to 600.
Thousands of residents have left Mariupol since the invasion, and even those who stayed face a lack of basic necessities. Russian aggression towards Ukraine has led to the displacement of more than 1.4 million people and the deaths of over 13,000, according to the United Nations.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world denounced as illegal, and last September officially claimed four regions in Ukraine’s south and east as Russian territory following referendums that Kyiv and the West described as a sham.
Putin also traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine. Crimea remains heavily militarized, and ethnic Crimean Tatars, who make up roughly 12 percent of the region’s population, are frequently targeted by law enforcement for their opposition to Moscow’s rule.
The visit comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated in recent months. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for help from NATO allies and called for an end to what he called Russia’s “aggressive and provocative policy” towards Ukraine. Kyiv has accused Moscow of amassing troops near the border and in Crimea, as well as supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. In response to the increasing tensions, the United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow.
In conclusion, Putin’s surprise visit to Mariupol highlights Russia’s continued occupation of Ukrainian territory and the ongoing conflict between the two countries. The visit also comes amid escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing tensions between Russia and the rest of the world over its annexation of Crimea and its aggression towards Ukraine.
