MOSCOW, April 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of the Dnepr battlegroup near the Kherson front, the Kremlin press office reported on Tuesday.
"While at the headquarters of the Dnepr battlegroup near the Kherson front, Vladimir Putin heard reports delivered by Airborne Troops commander Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, Dnepr battlegroup commander Colonel General Oleg Makarevich and other field commanders," the press office said.
In opening the meeting, the president said: "I don't want to distract you from your direct responsibilities of managing the troops, so we’ll be working here in a businesslike manner, brief but concrete." "It is important for me to hear your opinions on how the situation is developing, to listen to you and exchange information," Putin said.
"I would like to ask you to start your report with the situation at the Kherson front, then at the Zaporozhye front, and then I will ask Mikhail Yurievich [Teplinsky] to give his thoughts," the president told the assembled officers. "I know that on the orders of the Chief of the General Staff and the Defense Minister, he has been on the front line for quite a long time and has made a very thorough report," the president pointed out. "The Defense Ministry and the General Staff greatly appreciated it," Putin noted.
This marks Putin’s first visit to the Kherson Region. Previously, he visited Mariupol on March 19, 2023. At that time, he also visited Rostov-on-Don, where he held a meeting and heard reports from military commanders at the headquarters of the special military operation.