Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov, has been occupied by Russian forces since May after troops carried out a three-month-long siege that led to the surrender of fighters at the Azovstal steel plant and destroyed parts of the city.
Putin’s brazen visit to the occupied city, which was revealed by the Kremlin in a statement, comes just over a year after Russian forces bombed a children’s and maternity hospital in Mariupol.
Kremlin spokesman,Dmitry Peskov revealed that Putin discussed salaries, Russian citizenship and the issuing of Russian passports with the Ukrainians living in Mariupol.
