Putin in Mariupol: Russian leader visits occupied Ukrainian city

Russian state media have reported that President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city captured by Russian forces after they pounded much of it to ruins.

In an official video the Russian president can be seen driving a car through streets at night and visiting various locations.

It is understood that Putin visited the city's Philharmonic Hall - the same building the UN warned was to be used to stage trials of Ukrainian troops who held out against Russian forces for months in Mariupol's massive Azovstal iron and steel plant.