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What Putin's rare trip to occupied Ukraine signalled
Summary
A look back at reports of a visit by Russia's president to occupied Kherson and Luhansk oblasts, and the death of a former Ukrainian lawmaker in combat.
What did it mean when Russia's president travelled to occupied parts of Ukraine? As of 20 April 2023, the question was still being asked about a visit reported two days earlier, on 18 April 2023.
On that day, Russian president Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Russian-occupied Kherson and Luhansk oblasts. He met military commanders in charge of military operations there, according to reports at the time.
The two oblasts were among four that Russia had declared annexed. On 30 September 2022, Russia unilaterally announced the annexation of areas in and around Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Most of Luhansk Oblast and part of Donetsk Oblast had been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, while Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts were invaded by Russia in 2022.
The boundaries of the annexed areas were not defined at the time of the declaration. Russian officials said they would be set later. None of the four oblasts was fully under Russian control when the declaration was made, and that remained the case afterwards.
A loss on the Ukrainian side
Also on 18 April 2023, Oleh Barna, a former People's Deputy of Ukraine, was killed in combat. His death was reported as part of the wider war, in which Ukrainians from public life were among those serving at the front.
Why the date matters
The two reports from 18 April 2023 sat side by side: a Russian leader meeting commanders in territory his government claimed as its own but did not fully control, and the death in combat of a former Ukrainian legislator. Together they reflected a war that was continuing across the occupied south and east of Ukraine.
