Russian President Vladimir Putin visits troops in Kherson, occupied Ukraine, the Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin appears to have visited the headquarters of Russian troops fighting in occupied parts of Ukraine.

The Kremlin released a video early on Tuesday, 18 April, which appeared to show Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. It showed Putin apparently receiving reports from the top military brass.

He then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard in the Luhansk region to hear reports about the situation there.

Putin announced in September that the Kherson and Luhansk regions were part of Russia, along with Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, with sham referendums, in a move that was rejected by most of the world as illegal annexation.

It was impossible to independently verify the footage released by the Kremlin. The trip marked a second visit by Putin to the areas that Russia occupied in Ukraine in as many months, having previously visited Mariupol.

Kherson has been the subject of fierce fighting. Russian troops initially captured the city, however retreated in late last year following a successful counter offensive.

The epicentre of the war is now concentrated around the Bakhmut, in Donetsk, to the east. Kyiv is reportedly planning a counter offensive next month to try and push back Russian forces.