Kremlin: Russia’s Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol

WORLD, March 19 (YPA) -Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the city of Mariupol, the Kremlin’s press service said Sunday.

The Kremlin’s press services added that the Russian president inspected a number of city facilities and spoke with local residents.

He arrived in Mariupol on a helicopter, then drove a car that passed through several areas in the city, where he stopped and spoke with the residents in the neighborhood of “Nevsky”.

At the invitation of one of the families, Putin visited their home.

The Kremlin’s press office noted that “there has been talk, in particular, about the construction of new small residential areas, social and educational facilities, infrastructure for community services and medical institutions.”

He inspected the coastline in Mariupol in the yacht club area, the theater building” and other areas of the city, the press service added. Putin also held a meeting in Rostov-on-Don at the command center of the special military operation.

Putin’s surprise visit to Crimea was his first to the peninsula since he sent troops to Ukraine on February 24 last year, apart from when he drove across the bridge linking the territory to mainland Russia last December.

Russian state TV showed him visiting the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol, accompanied by the local Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 following a referendum that was not recognized by Keiv and the international community.

E.M