Putin visits Russian-occupied Mariupol in Ukraine

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Vladimir Putin, who flew to Mariupol by helicopter, drove across the metropolis by automotive and stopped to speak to residents, TASS company says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a working journey to Mariupol, a Ukrainian metropolis within the Donetsk area which has been occupied by Moscow’s forces since Could of final 12 months.

Putin flew to Mariupol by helicopter, the TASS company reported on Sunday, citing the Kremlin.

Putin drove a automotive and travelled round a number of districts of town, making stops and speaking to residents, the company mentioned.

Reviews of the Mariupol go to got here a day after the Russian chief travelled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine. Russian state TV confirmed him visiting the Black Sea port metropolis of Sevastopol on Saturday, accompanied by the native Moscow-appointed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 following a referendum that was not recognised by Kyiv and the worldwide group.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded that Russia withdraw from the peninsula in addition to the areas it has occupied since final 12 months.