By Bond Robertson 
Russia claims that President Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of Russian forces in annexed Ukraine on Friday.
This is what Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta, after asking if State Duma member Andrei Gorolev’s message about the visit on Telegram was true.
– Gorolev wrote on Tuesday that our commander-in-chief was in the region for the special military operation.
It is the term that Russia has legitimized to use in the war of aggression against Ukraine. The region in question that Putin is said to have visited is called Novorossiya in Russia, symbolizing “New Russia”.
Ukraine has already taken back regions annexed by Russia after it held “referendums” earlier this fall.
Gorolev further wrote that cooperation with Belarus is beneficial, and that Putin has spoken to all leaders.
– Today, our army, together with mobilizers, is operating on the territory of Belarus and jointly learning military skills and increasing combat readiness, wrote Gorolev.
accused of lying
Many Ukrainian media outlets accuse Russia of lying about which region Putin visited on December 16.
Also among them is Anton Gerashchenko, a former deputy minister in the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. He wrote on Telegram that the place Putin visited was the headquarters of the Southern Military District, which is located in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Rostov-on-Don is located in southern Russia, along the Don River, near Ukraine’s eastern border.
visits abroad
Last week, the Belarusian defense announced the start of a military exercise in the country. Among the tasks to be carried out were the movement of troops and the practice of building bridges over the Nemana and Brezina rivers.
– There were many things that happened along the border, and the fact that they are doing it now is not a sign of invasion. Tom Rosth, principal lecturer in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy, said that if they wanted to take part in the invasion, they would have to mobilize, which is not to say. Then to VG.
On Monday, Putin visited his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in Minsk.
During the visit, Lukashenko made promises to the Russian president about close military cooperation, while at the same time trying to appeal to the West.
– Russia and Belarus are open to dialogue with other countries, including European ones. The news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying that I hope they will soon listen to the voice of reason.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Putin was pushing Belarus into the Ukraine war.
– These are stupid and unfounded fantasies, says Peskov.
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hard days
Earlier in December, Putin was also seen on the Crimean bridge, which exploded in the fall. Watch the video at the top of the case.
The bridge, which connects Russian-occupied Crimea to the Russian mainland, was severely damaged in an explosion and subsequent fire on October 8. Three people were killed.
Russian President Putin was quick to blame Ukraine.
On Monday, he drove a Mercedes across the bridge and received an update on the repair work from Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khosnullin.