Published: Just now
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Crimea on Saturday, state Russian television reports.
Today is the ninth anniversary of the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
In the port city of Sevastopol, Putin, together with the governor appointed by Russia, Mikhail Razvozjayev, visited an art school, according to televised images. Putin has also visited a preschool.
“Our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin knows how to surprise. In a good way,” says Razvozjajev on the messaging app Telegram.
The visit takes place the day after the International Criminal Court ICC issued an arrest warrant against the president, regarding the mass transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, where many are said to have been adopted.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in violation of international law in 2014.