Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, a Ukrainian city devastated by the bombardments, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday, quoted by Russian news agencies.
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This is the Russian leader's first trip to this Ukrainian port city besieged for months and taken by the Russian army in May 2022. Putin already made a surprise visit to Crimea on Saturday, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 , on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the annexation.
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin flew to Mariupol by helicopter and toured the city, driving a car himself.
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He spoke with local residents, visited places of interest and was presented with a report on the reconstruction works of this devastated city, according to the same source.
