Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol during a Saturday trip to the Donbass, where he visited with residents and surveyed Russian efforts to rebuild the city after intense fighting with Ukrainian forces saw much of it destroyed. The trip marks the first time that Putin has surveyed the new territories won by Russian forces since the beginning of their special military operation in 2022.
As part of his trip to the separatist Donabass region on Saturday, Putin visited the city of Mariupol, which was touted by corporate media and government officials in NATO nations as a symbol of “Ukrainian resistance” before it fell to Russian forces. Reportedly, the Russian President took a helicopter flight to the city and toured it in a car and on foot, after a Russian ceremony was held in Crimea to commemorate that separatist region’s 2014 annexation.
Original article: https://nationalfile.com/vladimir-putin-visits-russian-controlled-mariupol-once-a-symbol-of-ukrainian-resistance/
