Putin's Mariupol visit signals Russia’s readiness to retreat

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

 “The purpose of Putin's visits to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine seems to be more aimed at the Russian generals and has a propaganda purpose. There are comparisons on Ukrainian social networks between Hitler's and Putin's visits to Mariupol. The Russians wanted to denazify everyone so much they became Nazis themselves, and now they show that their leader is not afraid to visit occupied cities,” the expert said.  

According to Kyrychevsky, Putin's visit was intended to convince the Russian military of the correctness of their retreat.

"It's likely that Putin's visit to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine was also intended to bolster his authority within the Russian military, which may soon face difficult decisions again. A trusted figure is needed to have the courage to retreat, and Putin's visit to the occupied territories was likely meant to give the Russian army that confidence to withdraw from Ukraine," he added.

• Russian state news agencies claim that Putin has visited the temporarily occupied Mariupol.