Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to the city of Mariupol, on his first trip to Donbas, the Kremlin reported today.
According to the press office of the Russian Presidency, the president arrived by helicopter in that city in the south of the Donetsk region, on the shores of the Azov Sea, which last year was the scene of fierce fighting.
During the visit, Putin toured various neighborhoods in the city by car, which he drove himself, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnulin, who informed him of the progress of construction and reconstruction work in and around Mariupol.
“In particular, it was about the construction of new housing units, social and educational centers, infrastructures and medical institutions,” added the Kremlin press office, which did not specify the duration of the visit.
Shortly after, the Russian Presidency reported that Putin met in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, with the commander of the military campaign in Ukraine.
“The head of state listened to the reports of the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valeri Guerasimov, and other military chiefs,” the press release added.
This Saturday, Putin made a surprise trip to the Crimean peninsula on the ninth anniversary of its annexation by Russia.
The president visited the Korsun Art School and children’s center in Chersonese, outside the port of Sevastopol, the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes due to his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children. The arrest warrant from The Hague puts Putin on a level with the greatest criminals in history.
It is unlikely that international justice can stop the Russian leader, he always travels protected by the army, The Hague cannot try the defendants in absentia and Moscow does not even recognize the authority of the court. But human rights groups hailed the decision as an important step to hold Moscow accountable in some way for abuses committed during its war against Ukraine.
