Russian propaganda media, citing the press service of the Kremlin, reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly visited the occupied Mariupol.
In these reports, it is said that Putin inspected a number of objects in the city and also talked with local residents. The President of the Russian Federation allegedly flew to Mariupol by helicopter, and then drove around several districts of the city, making stops.
In the occupied area, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin allegedly told the Russian president about the construction progress. The propaganda Kremlin TV channel "Zvezda" published several videos about this.
Russian propagandists report that in these videos Putin drives around Mariupol and then visits the Mariupol Philharmonic, but there is no independent confirmation of this.
Later, the adviser of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, commented on Putinʼs visit to Mariupol: "The criminal is always dragged to the scene of the crime. While the countries of the civilized world announce the arrest of the "director of the war" (President Putin) if he crosses the border, the organizer of the murders of thousands of Mariupol families came to admire the ruins of the city and mass graves. Cynicism and lack of remorse."
- On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that Putin is looking for international justice, and the "accession" of Crimea was illegal.