Visiting Russian Troops On Ukrainian Battlefield, President Putin: It Is Important To Get Information And The Development Of The Situation

President Putin's illustration when meeting the Russian military. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin visited military headquarters in Russia-controlled Ukrainian territory, the Kremlin said, where he discussed the war with a general of Russia's reported cross-air forces having taken a strong new role in the invasion.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, has sparked the deadliest European conflict since the Second World War.

So far, Moscow claims to have annexed four Ukrainian territories but its troops are locked in artillery fighting in the eastern Donbas with heavy losses on both sides. While on the other hand, they were forced to withdraw in southern Kherson, which President Putin visited.

Wearing a thick blue jacket, President Putin (70) got off a military helicopter in Russia-controlled Ukrainian territory, then greeted the senior military commanders, according to images shown by state television.

It did not say when the visit would be made. However, the Kremlin said President Putin attended a military command meeting in the Kherson region.

President Putin heard reports from cross-air troop commanders and "Dnieper" army groups and other senior officers about the situation in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, two areas Moscow has proclaimed as part of Russia.

Russian troops, who withdrew from Kherson City last November, have strengthened their position across the Dnipro River to anticipate retaliatory attacks by Ukraine.

"It's important for me to hear your opinion on how the situation is developing, to listen to you, to exchange information," President Putin told commanders.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Russian Air Cross Force Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky sits on the right of President Putin, while Colonel General Oleg Makarevich sits on the left.

Separately, British military intelligence said on Sunday General Teplinsky had been given a major role in the war.

"Teplinsky, commander of Russia's air force corps, VDV, is likely to have returned to its main role in Ukraine," British military intelligence said.

"Teplinsky is most likely one of Russia's few senior generals who are widely respected by the lower ranks," he continued.

On the occasion, President Putin also visited the headquarters of the national guard in Ukraine's Luhansk region in eastern Donbas, which Moscow also claims has been annexed along with the adjacent Donetsk region.

"The head of state also congratulated soldiers on Easter holidays and gave them a copy of the icon as a gift," the Kremlin said, with the Russian Orthodox Church celebrating Easter on April 16.