Putin visited Mariupol in his first known trip to territory taken by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine last year.
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In his first trip to territory seized in the past year, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which for Russia is a symbol of its goal to control eastern Ukraine and for Kyiv an illustration of Russian atrocities.
Mr. Putin drove through the streets of Mariupol, which was captured by his forces in May, after arriving there by helicopter, the Kremlin said in a statement. A clip of the visit broadcast on Russian state television shows the Russian president behind the wheel of a vehicle as a Russian official reports on the city’s reconstruction. The clip shows him driving through streets lighted by streetlights.