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Sergey Ilyin/Kremlin Pool via PA Images
Ukraine War
Putin accused of visiting sites of Russian 'war crimes' in Ukraine
He is said to have met with military commanders in regions annexed by Russia.
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS been accused of visiting the scenes of Russian “crimes” after travelling to Kherson and Lugansk in Ukraine.
The Kremlin confirmed today that he met with military commanders in the regions.
“The supreme commander of Russian Federation armed forces has visited the headquarters of the Dniepr military grouping” in the port city of Kherson, the Kremlin said in a statement.
It added that Putin visited the national guard headquarters in the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine.
It did not say when the trip took place.
This is the first time Putin has visited the regions, which are partially under Russian control, since his troops annexed them last September.
Speaking in a video released by the Kremlin, Putin said: “It’s important for me to hear your opinion on the situation, to listen to you and to exchange information.”
In a tweet this morning, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the visit as a “special tour” of sites of mass murders that had taken place “in the occupied and ruined territories”.
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