Putin visits Russian troops in occupied Ukraine

Vladimir Putin’s trips to the military headquarters come as Ukraine is preparing for a new counteroffensive to reclaim the occupied territories.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited headquarters of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine early on April 18, his second trip to the Russian-held territories there since March.

A video released by the Kremlin and broadcast by Russian state television showed Mr. Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. It showed Mr. Putin arriving by helicopter to receive reports from the top military brass about the combat situation.

The Russian leader then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard of the eastern Luhansk region to hear report from commanders.

In both locations, Mr. Putin congratulated the military on the Orthodox Easter that was celebrated Sunday and presented them with icons.

Russia annexed the Kherson and Luhansk regions along with the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in September in a move that was rejected by much of the world as illegal.

It was impossible to independently verify the footage of Mr. Putin’s visits to the two regions that was released by the Kremlin. The trip marked a second visit by the Russian leader to the areas that Russia occupied in Ukraine in as many months.

Last month, Mr. Putin visited the Russian-held Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol, which was captured by Russian troops in May after two months of fierce fighting.