{{President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Crimea, his first visit to the peninsula since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in March.
He addressed sailors in Sevastopol harbour as part of celebrations marking the 1945 Soviet victory over the Nazis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said it would be a pity if Mr Putin used the anniversary to visit Crimea.
Meanwhile, reports say several people died in a shoot-out between Ukrainian troops and separatists in Mariupol.}}
Kiev recently launched an operation to retake official buildings occupied by pro-Russia rebels in Mariupol and several other cities in Ukraine’s east and south.
Video footage from Mariupol showed armoured vehicles with Ukrainian flags in the streets, with the sound of gunfire in the background.
The Ukrainian security services said in a statement that one pro-Russian activist was injured, but there have been no casualties on the Ukrainian side.
wirestory
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