Putin makes surprise visit to Jerson and Lugansk to assess the situation with senior military officials

MADRID, 18 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has visited by surprise on Tuesday the regions of Kherson and Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine and currently occupied by Russia, to speak with their military leaders and find out the status of the offensive.

As confirmed by the state agency Tass, Putin has traveled to the area to "listen to a report on the situation from the Commander of the Air Forces, Colonel General Mikhail Teplinski, the commander of the 'Dnipro' troop group, Colonel General Oleg Makarevich and other military leaders".

According to the Russian press service, the president has addressed the commanders to ensure that he did not want to "distract them from their direct obligations", but that "it is important that he hear your opinion on how the situation is developing, listen to you and exchange information". .

Putin would have asked for information on the situation in Jerson and Zaporiyia, in addition to congratulating the soldiers on the recent Orthodox Easter, according to the cited agency.

Later, the president has moved to Lugansk to maintain contacts with the soldiers of the National Guard 'Vostok', visiting their headquarters, where he has received information from Colonel General Alexander Lapin and other senior officials.

It is Putin's first visit to Kherson or Lugansk, after in March he visited - also by surprise - the city of Mariupol and the Crimean peninsula. Donetsk and Lugansk have been the epicenter of a conflict since 2014, which spread nationwide after Putin ordered a military offensive against Ukraine.

Putin announced in September the annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, all partially occupied as part of the invasion, a decision endorsed in early October by the Russian Parliament. The announcement came after a series of referendums criticized by the international community for their lack of guarantees.