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This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.

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Russian media: Putin visits Russian-occupied Crimea

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Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula nine years after proclaiming its occupation "official," Russian state-controlled reported on March 18.

In February 2014, Russia occupied Ukraine's Crimea using soldiers without insignia. On March 16, 2014, the Kremlin orchestrated a sham referendum to justify its occupation, illegal under international law. On March 18, 2014, Putin announced Crimea as being part of Russia, a statement null and void, according to Ukraine and most UN members.

Putin's visit to Crimea came a day after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin for overseeing the "unlawful deportation of children" from Ukraine.

Ukraine said that "it's only the beginning" of a long road ahead to punish Russia for its war crimes committed in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Moscow dismissed the ICC's decision, with the Foreign Ministry claiming that “decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal standpoint."

The ICC's arrest warrant enables countries that have adopted the Rome Statute to arrest Putin. Ukraine signed the statute in 2000 but has not ratified it to date.

More than 16,000 children were forcibly removed from Ukraine in total since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to the National Information Bureau's March data.

At least 6,000 Ukrainian children deported by the invading Russian troops were forcibly taken to Russian-occupied Crimea, Regional Center for Human Rights (RCHR) lawyer Kateryna Rashevska told Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform in January.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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