Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly visited occupied parts of the Ukrainian region of Kherson, according to the Kremlin.

He is said to have attended a military command meeting to hear reports from military commanders.

Mr Putin is also thought to have visited the Luhansk region. Russia annexed Kherson and Luhansk last year.

Such trips by the Russian leader are rare, although he made a surprise visit to the city of Mariupol in March.

It is not known when the trip to Kherson took place but Russian media reported that Mr Putin also enquired about the situation in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow has also claimed as part of Russia.

He is quoted as telling the military meeting in Kherson that while he did not want to distract them from their duties, "it is important for me to hear your opinion on how the situation is developing, to listen to you, to exchange information".

Russian troops retreated from the city of Kherson late last year, losing the only regional capital it had managed to capture since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

However, some of the region remains under Russian control.

BBC