Putin visits Mariupol as part of surprise tour of occupied Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol, the Kremlin reported on Sunday (March 19), in what would be Putin s first trip to the Russianoccupied territories of Ukraine s Donbas region since the start of the war. The visit came after Putin traveled to Crimea on Saturday (March 18) in an unannounced visit to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine, and just two days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader. Mariupol, which fell to Russia in May after one of the war s longest and bloodiest battles, was Russia s first major victory after it failed to seize Kyiv and focused instead on southeastern Ukraine. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: w