Putin Limps Stiffly With Head Bowed As He’s Seen For The First Time After International Arrest Warrant Issued
March 19 2023, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first public appearance since a warrant was issued for his arrest due to alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
A short clip was published by Russian social media network VK showing the foreign leader visiting a school in Sevastopol.
The video footage sees Putin walking side by side with other Russian diplomats who were all surrounded by security while they stood in the disputed Ukrainian territory of Crimea.
Putin wore a black jacket over a dark blue turtleneck while the school's escort wore an all-black traditional Russian garb and hat.
The wanted war criminal appeared stiff as he walked down the halls of the school, and at one point, he attempted to smile before bowing his head into his jacket.
His appearance was part of a celebration held by Russia to mark the ninth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. The region, which homes over 2.4 million people, was invaded by Russian troops in 2014 in the wake of a revolution that saw the nation's pro-Putin president Viktor Yanukovych removed from his position.
Russia initially claimed that their army wasn't involved and that that the fighting was done by Crimea's own self-defense force, but Putin later admitted to sending troops to the peninsula.
The order was condemned by the international community and was deemed illegal under international law. As a result of the invasion, Russia was kicked out of the G8 group and was hit with an onslaught of sanctions.
The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, celebrated Putin's visit on Telegram.
"Our president Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin knows how to surprise. In a good way," he wrote. "Everything was ready for a video conference and a report to the president via special communications, and [Putin] took it and came, himself, driving. The president is always with Sevastopol and the people of Sevastopol. Our country has an incredible leader."
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The visit comes after the warlord was accused of unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine. The International Criminal Court sent out an arrest warrant for Putin's arrest for breaking the Geneva Convention and seek to have him testify for his alleged crimes against humanity.
The charges were made after video of Putin and Russia's children's commissioner Lvova Belova casually discussing bringing back a child from Ukraine surfaced online.
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