Vladimir Putin notably visited an apartment in a building rebuilt by the Russian authorities in Mariupol. HANDOUT / AFP
The “surprise” trip of the Russian president to the occupied zone is part of a communication war that gives rise to the most eccentric conspiracy theories.
Visit “surprisebut perfectly orchestrated. For the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has crossed the official borders of Russia to go to the occupied zone. After a visit to Crimea on Saturday, the head of the Kremlin went to the heart of the martyr city of Mariupol, pounded for months before falling into the hands of Moscow in May 2022. A highly symbolic trip at a time when the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an international warrant against Vladimir Putin.
This visit was announced only after the fact by the Kremlin, which only made it public early Sunday morning. At that time, the Russian president had already left the port city, which he had just surveyed under the cameras, sometimes driving a car, sometimes on foot, always at night. These nocturnal convolutions, concealed from the general public for obvious security reasons, have nevertheless not failed to give rise to the most eccentric of theories…
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