Last Sunday, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of visiting Mariupol, in the east of the country, to hide the reality of a city completely destroyed by his army and to avoid “curious looks”.
“As befits a thief, Putin visited the Ukrainian city of Mariupol at night,” the Ukrainian defense ministry said on its Twitter account.
As befits a thief, Putin visited Ukrainian Mariupol at night.
First, it is safer.
The darkness also allows him to emphasize what he wants to show, keeping the city, its army completely destroyed and the few surviving inhabitants away from prying eyes.– Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 19, 2023
Putin did it, firstly because it is safer and also because the night allowed him to emphasize “what he wants to show”, the publication continues, according to which the reality of a city is “completely destroyed” and without the prying eyes of the few survivors.
The message comes during Putin’s visit to Mariupol, which the Kremlin called “work” and apparently decided spontaneously after his visit to Crimea on Saturday, coinciding with the anniversary of that peninsula’s annexation in 2014.
The visit to the port city in eastern Ukraine is Putin’s first visit to Donbass.
This is reported by the press service of the Russian presidency. Putin arrived by helicopter in the city in the southern region of Donetsk, on the shores of the Sea of Azov, which was the scene of several clashes last year.
Footage circulated around Moscow shows the Russian president traveling in a car through different areas of the city, accompanied by the deputy prime minister, Marat Jusnulin.
The footage also shows Putin visiting recently built housing units, with a children’s playground in the middle, and talking to a group of citizens, apparently local residents.
Source: DN
