MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Ukraine’s Kherson and Lugansk regions to meet with military commanders, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
“The supreme commander of Russian Federation armed forces has visited the headquarters of the Dniepr military grouping” in the Kherson region in the south, as well as Russian national guard headquarters in the Lugansk region in the east, the Kremlin said in a statement.
It did not say when the trip took place.
It marked the first time Putin has visited the two regions, which are partly controlled by Russian troops, since Moscow annexed them along with two other Ukrainian regions last September.
“It’s important for me to hear your opinion on the situation, to listen to you and to exchange information,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin.
The Russian leader wished the troops a happy Easter, which Orthodox Christians marked on Sunday April 16, the Kremlin said.
© Agence France-Presse