Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unexpected visit to the military headquarters located in the Rostov-on-Don region. The Russian military headquarters serves as the central monitoring center for the invasion of Ukraine, referred to by Moscow as a special military operation. As reported by AFP on Friday (10/11/2023), Putin’s sudden visit, conducted on Thursday (9/11) evening local time, marks his second visit to Rostov-on-Don in less than a month.
In its latest statement, the Kremlin announced that the impromptu visit took place after Putin concluded his official visit to Kazakhstan.
“(Putin) visited the headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces in Rostov-on-Don after completing his official visit to Kazakhstan,” the Kremlin stated.
During the visit, according to the Kremlin, Putin was accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Russian military operation commander in Ukraine, Valery Gerasimov.
The Kremlin also mentioned that during the visit to the Russian military headquarters, Putin was shown the latest military equipment and received explanations about the progress of the military operation in Ukraine.
Putin’s last visit to Rostov-on-Don was at the end of October, during which he held discussions with Russian military officials regarding what the Kremlin referred to as a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Rostov-on-Don, located in the southern part of Russia and near the Ukrainian border, has reportedly become the operational center for Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine, according to Euro News. The city was also the site of a spectacular rebellion by the Wagner mercenary forces in June. In that brief rebellion, Wagner mercenaries temporarily seized the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don before an agreement was reached to end the uprising.
