Putin visits two regions of occupied Ukraine, Russia steps up assault on Bakhmut

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a joint statement with Chinese President Xi Jinping following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Astapkovich/Kremlin via REUTERS

KYIV/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin has met his commanders in two regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, while Russian forces stepped up heavy artillery bombardments and air strikes on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Kremlin said Putin had attended a military command meeting in Ukraine's southern Kherson region and visited a national guard headquarters in eastern Luhansk. It did not say when the visits took place.