Russian invasionRussian reactions

 

Putin during the visit to Mariupol AP  

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Putin's visit is seen as an act of defiance against the ICC  

 

Vladimir Putin's visit to occupied Mariupol yesterday was "spontaneous", according to a Kremlin statement quoted by AFP.  Even the meetings with local residents are described as completely unplanned. 

  

The visit came just a day after the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against the Russian president. According to Reuters, the trip is interpreted by many as an act of defiance and a direct reaction to the decision. The fact that Mariupol was visited can be seen as extra provocative, as the port city has become one of the symbols of the Ukrainian resistance.  

 

Putin himself has not commented on the arrest warrant, but his spokesman has dismissed its significance.  

 

Putin (right) on a visit to the Crimean Peninsula. AP  

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Putin visited Mariupol after the trip to Crimea 

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited occupied Mariupol in Ukraine, following his visit to the Crimean peninsula earlier on Saturday. This is reported by Russian state media according to Reuters.  

 

Putin was flown into the port city by helicopter and visited several areas of the city by car, according to a Kremlin statement. He reportedly stopped and talked to residents.  

 

The visit is believed to be the president's first trip to occupied territories in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began last year, writes Sky News. '

 

 

A woman leaves a voting booth in Melitopol, where elections were held in September to join the region to Russia. The elections were not recognized by the outside world. AP 

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions  

Russia makes Melitopol the new regional capital  

 

Occupied Melitopol is the new capital of the Zaporizhzhya region, according to a decree that the Russian-appointed authorities sneaked out a couple of weeks ago. According to the British Ministry of Defence's latest intelligence report, the "quiet declaration" of an alternative regional capital is likely to be tactical.  

 

According to the Russian-appointed governor Evgeny Balitsky, the move is a temporary solution until the regional capital Zaporizhzhya is controlled by Russia. It is currently 35 kilometers from the front line. 

 

At the same time, the action is interpreted by the British Ministry of Defense as an internal signal that the Russian forces will probably not take any major targets in the area in the near future.

 

Vucic and Putin, 2019. Darko Vojinovic / AP 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Serbia's president critical of ICC's Putin statement 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin will have negative consequences and prolong the war in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic believes, according to AP. 

- It signals that there is a great reluctance to talk about peace and a cease-fire, he says.  

The sole purpose of the arrest warrant is to "make it difficult for Putin to communicate," the president claims.  

Vucic is a strong opponent of international courts. Serbia hopes to become an EU member, but at the same time maintains close relations with Russia and is one of the few European countries that did not join the sanctions.  

 

Putin during the car ride. AP  

Russian invasionRussian reactions 

Putin drove a car through a bombed-out Mariupol 

During his overnight impromptu visit to Mariupol, Russian President Putin got behind the wheel and took a ride through the occupied Ukrainian city, with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin in the passenger seat.  

The BBC has mapped part of the route. Putin passed several sites that became world famous after the Russians bombed them during the long battle for the city - including the city's maternity hospital and theater.  

Mariupol is a symbolic place for Putin - no other city has been subjected to such extensive Russian attacks during the invasion, says the city's Ukrainian exile mayor Vadym Bojchenko.  

- He has personally come to see what he has done.