Russian propaganda media show video of Putin’s visit to Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Mariupol

A video of his nighttime trip has emerged and was released by the Russian propaganda news agency, RIA Novosti, on Telegram on March 19.

Read also: Occupiers transform Mariupol into military base, set up helicopter pad at Azovstal

Putin reportedly arrived in Mariupol by helicopter and then drove through the city by car to inspect various facilities and talk to local residents.

According to the videos that have surfaced, Putin is seen purportedly driving through the city at night and visiting the Mariupol Philharmonic, where cages previously installed for the trial of captured fighters were seen to have been removed.

Putin was accompanied during his visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnullin, who “reported to the president about the construction work in the captured city and its surroundings,” according to Russian media.

Read also: Russia deploys Buk air defense system in civilian area of Mariupol – video

In another video, Putin is seen apparently talking to residents of the Nevsky residential complex – a showpiece Russian housing development supposedly built for people who lost their homes during the Russian capture of the city. Another video shows Putin inspecting the interior of one of the apartments.

The dictator’s visit to Mariupol took place a few days after the anniversary of the Russian air strike on the Mariupol drama theater.

Read also: Satellite imagery shows word 'children' painted outside Mariupol theater hit by Russian airstrike

Read also: Russia destroying war crime evidence in Mariupol Theater attack on anniversary, Zelenskyy says

Russian dictator Putin arrived in Crimea on March 18, marking his first visit since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, and notably on the same day nine years previously that the Kremlin falsely claimed it had annexed the Ukrainian peninsula.

A “treaty” was signed between Russia and puppet entities from Crimea after an illegal referendum on March 18, 2014.

Russia’s claimed annexation has never been generally recognized – only a handful of rogue and pariah states accept Russia’s claim. For the majority of the world’s states, Crimea is Ukrainian territory currently under Russian military occupation.

Read also: War crimes tribunal to limit geography of Putin’s trips abroad, says President’s Office

Meanwhile, arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on March 17 for Putin and Russia's children's ombudsman, Maria Lvova-Belova. The charges against them relate to the alleged unlawful transfers of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation during the period starting from Feb. 24, 2022.

The 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute founding the ICC are now obliged to arrest the head of the Kremlin regime should he appear on their territory, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin clarified.

Read also: South Africa would have to arrest Putin if he attends BRICS summit

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, both argue that the arrest warrant is "legally null and void" since the accused country is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and therefore not subject to its jurisdiction.

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