Putin Visits Crimea On First Anniversary Of Its Annexation From Ukraine

Vladimir Putin was greeted by the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, and taken to see a new children's centre and art school on what the official said was a surprise visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on Saturday on an unannounced visit to mark the ninth anniversary of Russia's annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin was greeted by the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, and taken to see a new children's centre and art school on what the official said was a surprise visit.

State media did not immediately broadcast any remarks from Vladimir Putin, a day after the International Criminal Court said it had issued an arrest warrant against him and accused him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has yet to comment publicly on the move. His spokesman has called it "null and void", and said that Russia finds the very questions raised by the ICC to be "outrageous and unacceptable".