Putin was spotted with a limp during an unannounced visit to Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin has traveled to Russia Crimea on the ninth anniversary of the annexation of the Black Sea Peninsula by Ukraine.

Putin walked with a conspicuous limp while visiting an art school and children’s center on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader, accusing him of war crimes.

The court specifically charged him on Friday with personal responsibility for kidnapping children from Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion of the country that began nearly 13 months ago.

Under the United Nations Genocide Act, the forcible transfer of children from one group to another is considered a form of ethnic cleansing.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move considered illegal by most people around the world.

Putin was accompanied on his visit to the peninsula by Mikhail Razvozhayev, governor of occupied Sevastopol, along with six burly bodyguards who appeared to be wearing body armor.

Also present was Orthodox bishop Tikhon Shevkunov, Putin’s personal confessor, who compared the dictator to Tsar Peter the Great.

Putin was seen close to the people of Sevastopol addressing oligarchs and business leaders from afar, unlike other appearances – particularly on Friday.

The trip came amid claims from some quarters that Putin had health problems and had used body duplication for some public appearances during the war he unleashed against Ukraine a year ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russia to withdraw from the peninsula and areas occupied since last year.

But Putin has no intention of giving up the Kremlin’s achievements. Instead, on Friday, he stressed the importance of holding Crimea.

“It is clear that security issues are now the top priority for Crimea and Sevastopol,” he said, referring to Crimea’s largest city.

“We will do everything we can to avert threats.”

The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court was the first to be issued against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, has also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.

The move was immediately rejected by Moscow and welcomed by Ukraine as a major breakthrough.

Its practical impact may be limited, however, as the likelihood of Putin being tried before the ICC is very unlikely, as Moscow does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and does not extradite its nationals.

Russia conquered Crimea in 2014, eight years before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine says it will fight to drive Russia out of Crimea and all other areas Russia has occupied in years of war.

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