Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his commanders in the two regions of Ukraine which Moscow claims it has annexed. Meanwhile, Russian forces intensified heavy artillery and air strikes against the destroyed eastern Ukrainian city Bakhmut.

The Kremlin reported that Putin attended a military meeting in Ukraine’s Kherson region in the south and visited a National Guard headquarters in eastern Luhansk, on Monday.

Putin was briefed by the commanders of the Dnieper army and airborne forces, as well as senior officers on the situation in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.

The Kremlin stated that neither Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defense, nor Valery Gerasimov as Chief of General Staff accompanied Putin on his visit. This was done for security reasons.

Mykhailo Podeolyak, a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser, mocked Putin’s visit on Twitter as a “special tour” of the author of mass murders in the occupied territories and destroyed territory to enjoy the crimes committed by his minions for one last time.

Kyiv, the West and Russia accuse each other of war crimes committed by Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.

The four regions Putin declared annexed in September last year after what Ukraine called sham elections are Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk. The Russian forces control only a part of the four regions.

In anticipation of an offensive by Ukraine, Russian troops have reinforced their positions along the Dnipro River on the other side.

Putin rarely visits parts of Ukraine that are under Russian control. While many Western leaders have visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the Russian invasion 14 months ago.

He visited Crimea, which was annexed to Russia by Russia in 2014.

The Russian winter offensive has not made much progress. Its troops are bogged down by a series battles in the East and South, where advancements have been incremental at great cost for both sides.

Bakhmut, in the Donetsk Region, has been the scene of fighting for several months. Despite Russian claims that they had taken over this mining city, Ukrainian forces have held out.

In a Tuesday statement, General Oleksandr Sryskyi, commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, stated that the enemy was increasing its use of heavy artillery, and air strikes were turning the city to ruins.

Bakhmut could be a stepping-stone for Russia in its pursuit of two larger cities that it has long sought out in the Donetsk Region – Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.

This month, the head of the Wagner group of mercenaries, who spearheaded Russia’s effort to seize Bakhmut said that his fighters controlled over 80% of Bakhmut. Ukraine’s military denies this.

Russia claims that its “special operation” in Ukraine launched on February 24 of last year, was necessary to protect itself against what it views as an aggressive and hostile West.

Ukraine and its Western Allies claim that Russia is waging a war without provocation to grab territory.

The Group of Seven Foreign Ministers met in Japan on Tuesday to condemn a Russian plan for the stationing of so-called tactical nukes with a shorter range in Belarus, an ally of Moscow that borders Ukraine.

This was the first time since the Cold War ended that Russia has said it will station nuclear weapons in another country.

G-7 Foreign Ministers issued a communiqué at the conclusion of a 3-day meeting in Japan. They said that “Russia’s irresponsible rhetoric on nuclear weapons and its threat to use nuclear weapons in Belarus is unacceptable.”

They said that “any use of chemical or biological weapons by Russia will be met with severe consequence.”

The G-7 group includes the United States of America, Japan, Germany Britain, France, Italy and Canada. They have all imposed sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine killed tens and thousands of people. It has destroyed cities, forced millions to leave their homes, and shook up the global order of security.

In a meeting in Moscow, Russia’s Defense Minister Shoigu said to his Chinese counterpart Li Shangu that the military cooperation between their two countries was “stabilizing” in the world. It also helped reduce the likelihood of conflict.

Li told TASS that his visit was to demonstrate to the world China’s firm intention to enhance its strategic partnership with Russia.

Beijing has not criticised Putin’s invasion in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin praised Brazil’s efforts in mediating the Ukraine conflict. The United States has criticised Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for suggesting the West “encouraged” war by arming Ukraine.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said that it had sent a jet fighter to intercept what it believed were Russian aircraft gathering intelligence over the seas near Japan. Russia had earlier claimed that two of its strategic aircraft, which can carry nuclear warheads, conducted patrol flights in the Far East over the Sea of Okhotsk as well as the Bering Sea.