Putin arrives in Mariupol – Russian media (photos, video)
Arriving in the city destroyed by the Russian armed forces, the head of the Kremlin decided to take a car ride and talk to the “locals.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, destroyed by the Russian army, and, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, toured the philharmonic and even talked to local residents. The politician’s visit was first reported by a number of pro-Kremlin media outlets, and then a short note appeared on the official website of the head of state.
According to the published information, Putin arrived in the occupied city by helicopter and then drove around several districts of the city, inspected the coastline near the yacht club, the theater building, memorial sites, the restored philharmonic and the Azov Technical University.
The propagandists write that in the Nevsky neighborhood, Putin even “talked to local residents and visited a family.”
For his part, Husnullin, who accompanied the president of the aggressor country, “reported in detail on the progress of construction and reconstruction work in the city and its surroundings.”
As you know, during the fighting, the city by the sea was destroyed by almost 90%. The Russian army captured it in the spring of 2022 after the last defenders of Azovstal, who had been defending Mariupol to the last, surrendered.
In addition, Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the command center in Rostov-on-Don, where he heard reports from the Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov, and a number of military commanders.
Putin’s sudden visit sparked a lot of speculation online, with some bloggers openly talking about staging. As can be seen in the published footage, the visit took place at night, and Putin himself was filmed from the back or from a distance, and his photos are blurred.
Another point that users noticed is that Putin lets a tractor pass at an intersection, although, as a rule, roads are blocked for a long time during its movement. Among other things, he hardly ever says anything longer than a couple of words.
This is Putin’s first visit to the occupied Donbas since the beginning of the war. Back in November, when asked when he would visit the “liberated territories,” the Kremlin said that Putin would do so “when the time comes.”
