Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Mariupol, the Ukrainian city all but destroyed by his invading army last year, in an apparent show of defiance after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant accusing the Russian president of war crimes. State television showed Putin arriving at the port city by helicopter in the early hours of Sunday. Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, claimed the entire trip to Mariupol had been planned “spontaneously” and said Putin had driven around the frontline city without a full motorcade escort, according to state newswire RIA Novosti.
It was the president’s first trip to Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine, including four provinces Moscow is attempting to annex, since the full-scale invasion of the country began last year.
Putin has largely avoided visiting the frontline, remaining mostly in Moscow, where even his top officials’ access to him is highly restricted, and holding meetings online.