President Vladimir Putin is making his first visit to Crimea since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in March.
He told crowds marking the 1945 Soviet victory over the Nazis that Crimea had shown loyalty to a "historical truth" in choosing to be part of Russia.
The Kiev government protested at the visit, calling it a "gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty".
Kiev also reported that more than 20 people had died in a security operation against separatists in Mariupol.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that about 20 pro-Russian protesters and one Ukrainian security officer had been killed in the southern port.
No comments:
Post a Comment