Ukrainian and independent Russian media are now reporting on that clip. The woman herself is not visible in the images. After the shouting, however, people around Putin can be seen turning around and gesticulating.
Not everyone is sure that the ‘real’ Russian president was present. Stephen Hall, a specialist in Russian politics at the University of Bath, argues that the “grateful citizens” cannot be real. “Putin has many lookalikes and the alleged residents were probably security guards in civilian clothes,” he tweeted.
How real is Putin’s visit to Mariupol? This says an expert
The Ukrainian port city of Mariupol was besieged and shelled for months after the start of the Russian offensive war. During the fighting, 90 percent of the city was destroyed.
On Saturday, ‘Putin’ had already visited Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed in 2014. Among other things, he visited an art school in Sevastopol, the home base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.