Putin rallies his troops with 2nd Ukraine visit in 2 months

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited headquarters of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. A video released by the Kremlin early Tuesday (April 18, 2023) showed Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian province of Kherson and receiving reports from the top military brass. He then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard in Luhansk province to hear reports about the situation there. The trip on Monday was Putin’s second to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine in as many months. Russia illegally annexed Kherson and Luhansk along with Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces in September.