Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in cases like Mariupol, this allows him to get out of the car as quickly as possible in case of need.
“We didn’t break any rules, with one exception, we don’t wear seat belts while driving. However, in such cases, it’s better not to wear seat belts in order to avoid wearing a seat belt. can leave the car as quickly as possible,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told Rossiya-1 TV channel when sharing his feelings about his visit to Mariupol last weekend.
On March 18, Putin flew by helicopter from the Crimean peninsula to the city of Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Here, he drove his car around the city, talked to residents, and visited a family by invitation.
“This is an unscheduled program, the itinerary and meetings of the President with the people are not planned in advance,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Video released by the Kremlin shows Putin driving a car himself and talking to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin in the seat next to him. From the helipad, the Kremlin boss seemed to have walked along Kuprina Street, turning to Myru Avenue and then Metalurhiv Avenue.
This is Putin’s first visit to the territory since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. Putin’s business trip is to observe construction and reconstruction activities in Mariupol.
Russian forces last May took control of Mariupol after a siege and offensive campaign that lasted more than 80 days. Late last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia was planning to establish naval bases in two southern Ukrainian port cities, Berdyansk and Mariupol. Berdyansk is a port city in Zaporizhia Oblast and Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast. These are two of the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia has announced to annex, but not recognized by Ukraine and the West.
