A defiant Putin has started a tour of the occupied territories of Ukraine, stopping in Crimea and Mariupol.
The Russian leader visited besieged areas that had suffered numerous casualties since the invasion began.
The trip comes after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his war crimes arrest.
Two days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin began a macabre tour of occupied Ukraine The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for war crimes in connection with the Russian invasion of the country.
Putin was the first to stop in Crimea on Saturday. The New York Times reports, with the visit being timed to mark the 9th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the region in 2014.
According to a state-sponsored Russian media outlet mugPutin then visited Mariupol early Sunday on his first-ever visit to the Donbass region. Mass graves were discovered in the besieged ukrainian city, after Russian troops leveled the region and a steel mill was bombed where civilians and Ukrainian defenders were hiding.
During Putin’s visit to the region, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin began preparing a report on reconstruction efforts in the city and its outskirts, Tass reported.
“In particular, the report concerned the construction of new residential areas, social and educational facilities, utility infrastructure and medical centers,” mug reported the Kremlin press service said.
The Russian leader’s visit to occupied Ukraine follows the International Criminal Court, a tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands, Issue of an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on Friday. The ICC accuses Putin of being responsible for war crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calls for him to be brought to justice – although he is unlikely to do so given that Russia, like the USdoes not recognize the authority of the ICC.
Officials from the International Criminal Court declined to answer Insider’s questions about the likelihood of Putin being tried for the war crimes he is accused of.
Chinese guide Xi Jinping will meet with Putin during a visit to Russia according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry as of Monday. Xi and Putin plan to talk about “deepening Russo-Chinese cooperation” between their nations, according to the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday.
Ukrainian military leaders have indicated the possibility of a spring counter-offensivealthough an anonymous official said the Washington Post that any hope of a counterattack will depend on Western military aid and trained troops arriving in the region.
The The United States has provided billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine in view of the Russian invasion, with the President Joe Biden promises to continue sending military and humanitarian aid.
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Source : news.yahoo.com