Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, state media reported on Sunday, his first visit to the city since it was taken after a long siege early in Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
The trip comes after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over Russia’s alleged deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children during the conflict.
Russia besieged Mariupol early in its offensive last year, destroying the Azovstal Steel Works, the last base of Ukrainian forces in the city.
As the state news agency TASS announced on Sunday, Putin flew to Mariupol by helicopter on Saturday and undertook a city tour, sometimes by car.
He visited several locations, spoke to local residents and received a report on the city’s reconstruction work.
Путин (как утверждается) ездит за рулём по Мариуполю, дороги не перекрыты, приходится пропускать трактора and ф. Верите? pic.twitter.com/Y2QjItRljZ
— Dmitry Kolezev (@kolezev) March 19, 2023
Putin’s stop in Mariupol comes after his surprise visit to Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula’s annexation.
Russian state television showed him visiting the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol, accompanied by Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev.
Razvozhayev told the messaging app Telegram that Putin should attend the opening of a children’s art school via video link.
“But Vladimir Vladimirovich came in person. Himself. Behind the wheel. Because on such a historic day, the President is always with Sevastopol and the people of Sevastopol,” he said.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after a referendum that was not recognized by Kyiv and the international community.
Speaking ahead of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants Crimea retaken, despite Moscow’s refusal to include it in possible peace talks.
ICC Arrest Warrant “void”.
Putin’s visit came after the International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant against him for the “deportation” of Ukrainian children.
According to Kiev, more than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the conflict began in February 2022, many of them placed in institutions and foster homes.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan told AFP that Putin will now be arrested if he sets foot in any of the more than 120 member states of the court.
The 70-year-old Russian leader has not commented publicly on the arrest warrant, but the Kremlin dismissed its validity as “void” because Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Hague court’s decision came ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow on Monday to sign deals touted as the start of a new era in relations.
China, a key Russian ally, has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, urging Moscow and Kiev to start negotiations.
But Western leaders have repeatedly criticized Beijing for not condemning Russia’s offensive, accusing it of providing Moscow with a diplomatic cover for its campaign.
Grain deal extended
In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the two sides had agreed to extend an agreement that had allowed Ukraine, a major grain exporter, to resume exports after its Black Sea ports were blocked by Russian warships had been.
However, there were differences of opinion about the terms.
Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said the deal had been extended by 120 days, but a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow had agreed to a 60-day extension.
The deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 had allowed the safe passage of exports and had already been extended by 120 days in November.
Fighting is now concentrated in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, particularly the city of Bakhmut.
Russian attacks hit the nearby town of Kramatorsk on Saturday, killing two people and wounding 10, said regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, who accused Moscow of using cluster bombs in the attack.
AFP journalists in Kramatorsk heard about 10 explosions almost simultaneously just before 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) and saw smoke billowing over a park in the southern part of the city.
A woman died at the scene of her wounds, they saw.