Putin to Visit Crimea for May 9 Military Parade: Reports

Local Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin will make his first visit to the Crimean peninsula since Russia annexed the territory in March, in a move to bolster public support, Russian dailies reported on Wednesday.

Russian dailies Kommersant and Gazeta.ru reported Putin could attend a May 9 military parade marking victory in World War II in Sevastopol, which hosts the Black Sea fleet.

The trip to Sevastopol "is on the agenda, the issue has to be confirmed with the Kremlin administration," a high-ranking source in the defence ministry told Kommersant.

Putin could fly to Crimea after overseeing the country's main military parade on Red Square, marking 69 years since Nazi Germany surrendered its forces, the reports said.

The reports also said Putin could travel with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in a rare joint trip.

Russia and the other ex-Soviet states celebrate victory in World War II on May 9.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team