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Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid a surprise visit to Mariupol, a Ukrainian port captured by Russia after its forces pounded much of it to ruins, reports BBC.
An official video shows Putin driving a car through streets at night and speaking to people. The Kremlin says it happened late on Saturday.
It is believed to be his first trip to a newly-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Exiled Ukrainian city officials said Putin had visited at night so he would not see the destroyed city in daylight.
On the other hand, the Kremlin said Putin's decision to go to Mariupol had been "spontaneous". The Russian leader is also reported to have met top military commanders in Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city just east of Mariupol.
Russian Tass news agency says he travelled to Mariupol by helicopter. In the video he is in the car with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who explains how the city is being rebuilt.
Putin also appears to visit the Philharmonic Hall, which was used to stage trials of defenders of the Azovstal iron and steel plant, a huge industrial complex where Ukrainian troops held out before eventually surrendering.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
