On March 17, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link in Moscow, Russia. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters)
Unannounced, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine. Upon arrival, Putin was greeted by the Russian-appointed Sevastopol governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev. The governor accompanied Putin to visit a new children’s center and art school in what is said to be a surprise visit. There were no immediate comments from Putin through state media. However, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Putin or his spokesman have yet to comment publicly on the issue. In response, Putin’s spokesman has called it “null and void” and labeled the questions raised by the ICC as “outrageous and unacceptable.” Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and in 2022, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine vowed to expel Russia from Crimea and all other territories that Russia occupies in the year-long war.