As Russian President Vladimir Putin recently had a chance to observe, Crimea is lovely in the summertime.
Over the weekend, Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev went on what they called a "working trip" to Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
The visit, which the Ukrainian government protested, was one more way to cement Russia's presence in the region.
Along with stepping onstage at a jazz festival and lighting candles in churches, Putin posed for photos with young Crimean supporters.
These bizarre photos captured by the AP show just how the visit went:
On August 18, Putin and Medvedev arrived in Sevastopol, a Crimean city and long-time strategic military base, for a visit that lasted several days.
Source: RadioFreeEurope
Many saw the visit as a strategic effort to show the Crimean people that Russia has their back.
Source: RadioFreeEurope
"We need to build a real Russian mecca here," Putin said while visiting the ancient Crimean town of Hersones.
Source: Lenta
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