Putin visits Crimea on anniversary of its annexation from Ukraine

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on Saturday on a visit to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine, Russian state media reported.

State TV showed a brief clip of a casually dressed Putin walking with a group of officials, and promised further details shortly.

Russia seized Crimea in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine says it will fight to expel Russia from Crimea and all other territory that Russia has occupied in the year-long war.

(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Ros Russell)