(Central News Agency) Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise personal visit to Crimea today to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's annexation to Russia.
Agence France-Presse reported that this was Putin's first visit to the Crimea peninsula since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year.
In December, he drove across a bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia.
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Footage aired on Russian state television showed Putin visiting the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol, accompanied by Moscow-appointed local administrator Mikhail Razvozhayev.
Radzvozhayev posted on Telegram that Putin will attend the opening ceremony of a children's art school via video link.
He said, "President Putin is here, he is visiting in person, and he is driving himself. On such a historic day, the president is always with Sevanberg and the people here."
Russia formally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 following a referendum that was not recognized by Kiev and the international community.
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