Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a captured Ukrainian city on Sunday for the first time since he invaded the country last year.
Putin made an unannounced trip to the coastal city of Mariupol, a city Russian forces reduced to near ruins by artillery fire early in the invasion. The footage shows Putin driving through the city at night as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin explains the efforts Russian forces are making to rebuild the city.
Putin’s regime has touted reconstruction efforts in Mariupol as evidence of its claim to free Ukrainians from fascist leaders.
Mariupol saw some of the most dramatic and intense fighting of the first few months of the Russian invasion, with Ukrainian forces holding out at a steel mill after Russian forces nearly took the city. Ukrainian soldiers finally surrendered in May.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin greets local residents after touring their new apartment during his visit to Mariupol in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region of Ukraine. (Associated Press)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin drive a car during their visit to Mariupol. Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of Ukraine’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula.
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with local residents during his visit to Mariupol.
Putin’s visit came days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest over the abduction of Ukrainian children from their families last week.
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The ICC’s mandate has limited real-world impact, however, given the court’s limited jurisdiction. The move was immediately rejected by Moscow.
Putin is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow later this week as China attempts to negotiate peace terms between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about China’s entry into the peace arena, but said he was open to dialogue.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Moscow later this week. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP)
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Xi is expected to have a phone call with Zelenskyy sometime after his visit to Moscow. That call would be the first one-on-one interaction for the pair since before Putin’s invasion.
