Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the bombed-out city of Mariupol “like a thief” at night, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Sunday, AFP reports. And the adviser to the president of Ukraine condemned the “cynicism” of Putin, who went to a place where hundreds of people died due to Russian bombing.

Kyiv claims that Putin went to Mariupol at night as a thiefPhoto: POOL Russian TV / AP / Profimedia

“Like a thief, Putin visited the Ukrainian Mariupol, hiding from the night. First, it is safer. The night also allows him to emphasize what he wants to show, and keeps the city completely destroyed by his army and the few surviving residents from prying eyes,” the Ukrainian agency said in a statement on Twitter.

For his part, the adviser to the president of Ukraine condemned Vladimir Putin’s “cynicism” and “lack of remorse” during his visit to Mariupol.

“Criminals always return to the places of their crimes… The murderer of thousands of families in Mariupol came to admire the ruins of the city and its graves. Cynicism and lack of remorse,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, a Ukrainian city hit by bombings, the Kremlin’s press service said on Sunday, later saying the visit was “spontaneous”.

First visit to occupied Ukraine

This is the first trip of the Russian leader to this port city of Ukraine, which was under siege for months and was occupied by the Russian army in May 2022. Also on Saturday, the head of the Kremlin was in Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014.

According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin arrived in Mariupol by helicopter, and then took a tour of the city, driving a car himself.

Vladimir Putin talked with local residents, visited important places and received a report on the reconstruction works in this destroyed city, the same source reports.

Since Friday, Vladimir Putin has been under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accuses him of the war crime of “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children.

The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, also sought to examine whether the bombing and siege of the city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine could constitute a crime against humanity.

She concluded that she lacked the elements for such a conclusion, as she did not have access to the Donetsk region, where Mariupol is located.

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