Putin Heckles During Visit to Mariupol

Vladimir Putin was heckled by Mariupol residents Visit the destroyed city on Sunday.

TV footage showing Russia’s president probably meets grateful Ukrainiansa female voice is heard: “It’s all a lie, it’s all just a show”.

The heckler appeared to have come from a nearby building, so Putin’s security team began frantically looking around to determine the cause of the disturbance.

Official visits by Russian presidents are, for the most part, carefully phased, and this was especially true of Mariupol, which had been ravaged by Russian forces in a months-long siege.

The Russian leader flew into the city in a military helicopter and drove himself to meet the residents of the rebuilt apartments.

After Putin asked if he liked his new apartment, one resident sobbed and told Putin, “I own a piece of paradise.”

“I’ve only seen you on TV,” said one man after shaking Putin’s hand.

Mr Putin’s bodyguards wore microphones and hovered around him throughout his visit, occasionally whispering in residents’ ears or guiding them where to stand.

“We need to get to know each other better,” Mr Putin told the beaming residents.

Mr Putin’s trip to Mariupol was his first trip to the occupied territory since the invasion began last year.

That was after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president on suspicion of war crimes.