In 2014, Russia illegally seized the peninsula, and Ukraine has sworn to fight until it is returned.
Vladimir Putin was in Crimea to commemorate the ninth anniversary of Ukraine’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula.
The Russian president flew from Moscow to Sevastopol, the main city in Crimea, one day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.
According to the court, he is responsible for the kidnapping of hundreds of Ukrainian children since Russia’s full invasion of the country began last February.
He met Crimea’s Russian-appointed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, before touring an art school and a children’s center.
Mr. Putin’s remarks were not disseminated by state media, but on Friday, he discussed the significance of retaining Crimea.
Security concerns are now the top priority for Crimea and Sevastopol, he said.
We will do everything necessary to repel all threats.
Ukraine says it will fight to reclaim Crimea, which the international community considers illegal.
Putin’s spokesman called the International Criminal Court’s arrest order “null and void” on Friday.
Russia does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, which is located in The Hague.
It doesn’t extradite its people, so Mr. Putin won’t be tried there.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday evening that Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry, stated that any peace agreement with Ukraine should necessitate the “abolition of all illegal sanctions and lawsuits against the Russian Federation in international courts.”
In other news, Ukrainian authorities reported multiple Russian attacks between Friday evening and Saturday morning.
The Ukrainian air force command stated on Telegram that eleven out of sixteen drones were shot down during attacks targeting, among other areas, the capital city of Kyiv and the western province of Lviv.
Russia continues to concentrate the majority of its offensive strength in the industrial east of Ukraine. Including Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarsk.
