Putin 'To Visit Crimea' For May 9 Military Parade

[Purveyor]

Moscow (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin will make his first visit to the Crimean peninsula since Russia annexed the territory in March, reports said Wednesday, in a move to bolster public support amid simmering tensions in Ukraine.

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

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[BeyondGeography]

1. Sounds festive

[HeiressofBickworth]

2. I have a mental vision of Putin

ridding in the parade in the first military vehicle, like the conquering hero he imagines himself to be.

He is a puzzle. His ego was probably not massaged enough during the Olympics so a month later, he in Crimea with plans for further conquests. Personally, I think he's delusional. But like any crazy person with weapons, he's dangerous.

[NightWatcher]

3. he'll rip his shirt off and straddle a giant rocket as it parades into Ukraine...

...and not see the symbolism therein