Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, which was occupied by Russia after the ICC warrant – #Putin #surprise #visit #Mariupol #occupied #Russia #ICC #warrant
March 19 (Reuters) – International A crime By the court military the day after he was charged with the crimes the president Vladimir Putin Russia occupied by of Ukraine Suddenly to the city of Mariupol trip did .
State television showed extensive footage Saturday night of Putin being shown around the city, meeting remarried residents and being briefed on reconstruction efforts by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
The port city of Mariupol became known throughout the world as a byword for death and destruction, as much of it was reduced to ruins in the early months of the war, finally in May Russia passed to his forces.
Hundreds of people as a result of the bombing of the theater where families with children took shelter perished has been Security and Cooperation and Europe Organization (OSCE) called Russia’s early bombing of the maternity hospital there a war crime. Moscow denied this and said it had not targeted civilians since the invasion on February 24 last year.
International on Friday A crime His court ordered him to deport hundreds of children from Ukraine military Putin’s visit was a gesture of defiance after issuing a warrant for his arrest, accusing him of a crime.
He has not commented publicly on the move, but his spokesman said it was legally “empty” and Russia He considers the questions raised by BCM “illegal and unacceptable”.
Putin’s visit to Mariupol since the start of the war of Ukraine The first he did to the parts of the Donbas region occupied by Russia trip and was his closest approach to the front line.
Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky although he made several visits to the battlefield to raise the morale of his troops and discuss his strategy, Putin Russia’s “special” in Ukraine military “Operation” he mostly stayed inside the Kremlin.
Kyiv and its allies say the occupation is an imperialist land grab that has killed thousands and displaced millions in Ukraine.
“PIECE OF PARADISE”
Putin’s visit to Mariupol took place in the dark. State television showed him at the wheel of a car, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Khusnulli, touring the city and receiving detailed information about the reconstruction of residential buildings, bridges, hospitals, transport routes and a concert hall.
State media said he visited a new residential area built by the Russian military, where the first people moved in last September.
“Do you live here? Do you like it?” Putin is shown asking questions to residents.
“Very much. This is a little piece of heaven that is here now,” said one woman, clasping her hands, thanking Putin for the “victory”.
Residents are “actively” returning, Khusnullin told Putin. Mariupol had a population of half a million before the war and was home to the Azovstal steel plant, one of Europe’s largest, where Ukrainian fighters held out for weeks in underground tunnels and bunkers before being forced to surrender.
“The center of the city was seriously damaged,” said Khusnullin. “We want to complete the (reconstruction) of the center, at least the facade part, by the end of the year. The center is very beautiful.”
Ukraine There was no immediate response from the government to the visit.
Mariupol, which Putin moved to annex in September in a move rejected as illegal by most countries at the United Nations General Assembly of Ukraine mainly in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions occupied by Russia.
Putin He went there by helicopter after visiting Crimea from Ukraine on the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation.
From Mariupol, he went to the southern Russian city of Rostov, where state television on Sunday said his headquarters chiefshowed that he met the commander of the Russian military forces in Ukraine Valery Gerasimov.
Reporting by Lydia Kelly in Melbourne and Mark Trevelyan in London Editing by Francis Currie
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Mark Trevelyan
2023-03-19 16:12:41
Source – reuters
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