Voice of America
19 Mar 2023, 18:36 GMT+10
Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to a report Sunday from the Russian state news agency Tass.
Putin traveled to Crimea on Saturday on the ninth anniversary of Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded Russia's withdrawal from Crimea and all areas it has occupied since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which entered its second year in February.
Saturday's trip also came the day after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putin's arrest, charging him with being personally responsible for the abduction of children from Ukraine in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader visited an art center and a children's center in Crimea.
Meanwhile, Britain's Defense Ministry said Sunday in its daily intelligence update on Russia's invasion that the "quiet declaration of an alternative capital" for the Zaporizhzhia Oblast "is likely tacit acknowledgement within the Russian system that its forces are highly unlikely to seize previously planned major objectives in the near future."
Russian officials published a decree on March 3 declaring Melitopol as the Zaporizhzhia oblast capital. It was designed as a temporary measure, the ministry said, until the city of Zaporizhzhia is controlled by Russia.
However, Russia has never occupied the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is about 35 kilometers from the current front line.
Putin claimed in September to have annexed four oblasts, including Zaporizhzhia, as part of the Russian Federation.
Get a daily dose of Belgium Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Belgium Sun.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Temperatures reached 28 degrees in some parts of the country on July 11, and a yellow weather warning is now in place....
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Meta is holding firm on its controversial pay-or-consent model, a move that could lead to fresh antitrust charges...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has issued a strong safety warning ahead of this weekend's expected...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Irish Rail incurred over 26,000 euros in damages due to a series of graffiti incidents carried out by a 24-year-old...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Meta is holding firm on its controversial pay-or-consent model, a move that could lead to fresh antitrust charges...
LONDON, U.K.: American consumers and businesses could soon face the highest overall tariff burden in more than a century, according...
The family of Sayfollah Saif Musallet, a 20-year-old American citizen who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West...
CONCORD, New Hampshire: A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a crucial ruling on July 10 against President Donald Trump's executive...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...