Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise trip on Saturday to Mariupol, a Ukrainian city his forces captured last year.
Reports say Putin flew in by helicopter. Video from Russian media showed Putin driving a car through after dark, visiting buildings, and meeting with residents.
Russian state news service TASS said it was Putin’s first-ever visit to Donbass, a region in eastern Ukraine, and while there, he received a report from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin about efforts to rebuild the port city within the eastern region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to the devastated city of Mariupol. This is his first visit to the partly-captured Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since Moscow’s 2022 invasion. pic.twitter.com/D7AFwv6MHF
— DW News (@dwnews) March 19, 2023
“In particular, the report concerned the construction of new residential districts, social and educational facilities, utility infrastructure and medical centers,” said…
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