Putin's Mariupol visit and Kramatorsk shelling, reviewed
A look back at reports from the Donetsk region in the days before 20 March 2023.
What was happening in Ukraine's Donetsk region as 20 March 2023 began? Reports from the preceding days pointed to two developments: a visit by the Russian president to an occupied city and a deadly strike on a city still under Ukrainian control.
On 19 March 2023, Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, in Donetsk Oblast. It was reported as his first visit to the city since the full-scale invasion began, and the city was in Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine.
A day earlier, on 18 March 2023, Russian forces shelled Kramatorsk, also in Donetsk Oblast, with cluster munitions. At least two civilians were killed and five others were injured, according to reports at the time.
Taken together, the reports showed Donetsk Oblast divided between areas held by Russia and those still exposed to attack. In Mariupol, the Russian leader appeared in person. In Kramatorsk, civilians came under fire.
