State media reports that Putin has paid a visit to Mariupol, which is currently occupied during the Ukraine war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city that was captured by Russian forces after heavy bombardment, on Saturday night.
This marks his first visit to a newly-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Official video footage shows Putin driving a car through the streets, speaking with locals, and visiting the Philharmonic Hall, which was initially intended for trials of captured Ukrainian forces but was ultimately used for a prisoner exchange.
Putin also met with top military commanders in Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city located east of Mariupol. However, Mariupol’s exiled mayor, Vadym Boychenko, condemned Putin as a “criminal” who had returned to the scene of the crime, suggesting that the Russian leader was there to witness the damage he had caused and to anticipate his punishment.
Other exiled Ukrainian officials claimed that Putin visited at night to avoid seeing the destruction in daylight.
The conflict in Mariupol lasted over 10 months, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths and the displacement of around 350,000 people from a pre-war population of approximately 500,000.
UN analysis indicates that 90% of the city’s buildings were damaged.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city captured by Russian forces after heavy bombardment, marking his first visit to a newly-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Putin visited at night and met with locals, including a visit to the Philharmonic Hall, which was initially intended for trials of captured Ukrainian forces but was ultimately used for a prisoner exchange.
However, there are claims that Putin avoided seeing the destruction in daylight.
According to local sources who spoke with the BBC, Russia is engaged in an expensive campaign to rebuild Mariupol and win over its residents in order to assimilate the city and make it part of Russia. Russian authorities claim that 300,000 people are now living in Mariupol.
During the conflict, Russia targeted a Mariupol theatre where hundreds of civilians were taking shelter, causing the building to collapse and resulting in the deaths of at least 300 people. The attack has been condemned by Ukraine and human rights groups as a war crime, and the United Nations has indicated that Russian authorities, including President Putin, could be held legally responsible for incidents such as this.
In fact, the International Criminal Court recently issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest related to the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. This means that he could be arrested if he enters any of the court’s 123 member states.
Despite these allegations, Putin made an unannounced visit to Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the territory from Ukraine. During the visit, he reportedly visited a new Russian arts school, a children’s summer camp, and cultural projects like the New Russia museum and museum of Christianity.
Meanwhile, Kyiv authorities have vowed to reclaim all Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. While rebuilding Mariupol may be possible, it cannot bring back the lives lost in the conflict.