According to media reports, it is unclear when the visit to Mariupol took place. According to the Kremlin, Putin flew to Mariupol in a helicopter. Upon his arrival, he found out about the situation during a walk and also spoke with residents of the city, Russian state agency TASS reported. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Marat Chusnullin briefed Putin on the status of reconstruction work. According to dpa information, photos of the destruction were only marginally visible during Putin’s appearance in Mariupol.
Russian state television showed the 70-year-old man behind the wheel of a car driving through the city at night. He visited a family at their home in a new housing development built by the Russian military. Interfax news agency reported that Putin was also at a yacht club and in the theater building.
Portal/Alexander Ermochenko Mariupol was largely destroyed by Russian bombing – according to agency reports this was only marginally visible during Putin’s visit
Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, had been bombed and besieged by Russia since the start of the war in late February 2022. On April 21, Moscow announced the capture of the port city. About 2,000 Ukrainian militants then hid in the sprawling Azov Steelworks in Mariupol for nearly a month before the government ordered them to surrender to the Russians to save their lives in May. According to Kiev, 90% of the city was destroyed and at least 20,000 people were killed.
Meeting with military leaders
Mariupol is part of Donetsk – one of four regions that Russia declared Russian territory in September. The Kiev government and its allies speak of an illegal annexation and a war of aggression by Russia. The leadership in Moscow describes the procedure as a special operation aimed at destroying military capabilities in the neighboring former Soviet republic and taking action against nationalists classified as dangerous.
Russian media also reported on Sunday that Putin had met top leaders of his military operation, including Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The meeting took place at the Rostov-on-Don command post in southern Russia, TASS reported.
AP/Sputnik On Saturday afternoon, Putin visited Sevastopol to mark the ninth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea
Ninth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea
The reason for Putin’s visit to Crimea was the ninth anniversary of the internationally unrecognized annexation of Crimea by Russia. State television broadcast footage of the Kremlin chief, accompanied by local governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev, at the opening of an art school for children in Sevastopol.
It is the Russian president’s first visit to Crimea on the annexation anniversary since 2020. Since the start of the war of aggression he has ordered against Ukraine, the Russian president has generally avoided areas close to the front. In late 2022, he tested the seaworthiness of the Crimean Bridge, which had been badly damaged by an autumn attack.
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The Hague issues arrest warrant for Putin
Arrest Warrant Against Putin
Meanwhile, traveling abroad could become more difficult and risky for Putin in the future. A day after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin, this decision was welcomed by leading Western politicians. US President Joe Biden described the decision as a “very strong signal”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of a “historic decision”.
The court’s arrest warrant was issued on Friday for the kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia in the Ukraine war. According to the ICC, Putin is allegedly “personally responsible” for the “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russian territory, calling it a war crime. An arrest warrant was also issued for the Russian President’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Alexeyevna Lvowa-Belowa.
More risks when traveling in contracting states
Moscow called the arrest warrant “senseless” because it does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction. According to Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, Putin now faces arrest if he travels to any of the ICC’s 123 contracting states. However, the court is dependent on your cooperation because it does not have its own police forces to carry out the arrest warrant.
In the past, countries have not always cooperated – especially when it came to an acting head of state. However, a visit by Putin could damage the image of these countries and damage relations with Western countries. Whether the arrest warrant will actually take effect and, if so, which one is still open.
New sanctions against Russia, Syria and Iran
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced his country’s new sanctions against Russia and its allies Iran and Syria. “Ukrainian sanctions are part of the global pressure on Russia,” the 45-year-old said in his daily video on Saturday. 400 people and businesses are affected by the measure, Zelenskyy said.
In his video message, he blamed the passivity of the international community in Syria a few years ago, when Putin kept President Bashar al-Assad in power there with his bombs, for starting the war in Ukraine. “The people of Syria have not received adequate international protection and this has left the Kremlin and its accomplices feeling unpunished.”
“There is only one way to save lives – it is necessary to expel the Russian army from Ukrainian soil. And we will do it,” Zelenskyy promised. In his weekly summary, he thought his country was on the right track. For example, Ukraine received a new armaments package with ammunition, artillery and combat aircraft from the West. In addition, there have been larger rounds of talks with the United States on more arms aid, the Ukrainian head of state said.