President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, a Ukrainian territory now in Russian hands.

Mariupol has been left in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion and bombardment of Ukraine. 

According to the Kremlin, the visit took place late Saturday, and Mr Putin decided “spontaneously” to tour the city. 

“We have to understand that Mariupol is a symbolic place for Putin because of the fury he inflicted on the city of Mariupol. No other city was destroyed like that,” said the mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenk.”

Mr Putin visited some sites during his visit to Mariupol, driving past various scenes of Russian attacks, which include a bombed drama theatre, a bombed maternity hospital, the Philharmonic Concert Hall, which served as a shelter for Ukrainian citizens during the siege of the city, and a World War Two memorial built to commemorate Soviet troops who recaptured the city from Nazi Germany. 

Mariupol fell in May last year after one of the war’s bloodiest battles. It marked Russia’s first major victory in its war in Ukraine after it failed to seize Kyiv. 

China’s leader Xi Jinping will visit Mr Putin this week.