MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited National Guard headquarters ‘East’ in Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), the Kremlin press office reported on Tuesday.

"Vladimir Putin visited National Guard headquarters ‘East’ in the LPR, where he received reports from Colonel General Alexander Lapin, other top officers on the situation on this direction," the press office said. This is Putin’s first visit to the LPR.

The president congratulated the servicemen on the Easter holiday, as he had done during an earlier visit to the headquarters of the ‘Dnepr’ battlegroup in the Kherson Region. The head of state presented them with a copy of an icon.

Putin arrived at the LPR by helicopter and then drove to the headquarters in an SUV. There, he was met by Lapin. Putin greeted him with a handshake, then turned to the rest of the participants, greeted them and gestured to sit down at the table for a discussion. On the trip, the president wore a strict suit with a black turtleneck.

According to the footage, when leaving the headquarters, Putin and Lapin, surrounded by other officers, also had a conversation on their feet.

This is Putin’s first visit to the Kherson Region and the LPR. Previously, Putin visited Mariupol on March 19. Back then, he also visited Rostov-on-Don, where he had a meeting and received reports from military commanders in the special military operation headquarters.