Putin takes trip so far to the east it’s almost in the west

The Russian president has taken a trip to a remote city – only 50 miles away from Alaska.

Vladimir Putin arrived in Anadyr, the capital of the Chukotka region of Russia, during his first ever presidential visit to the area.

The region is located in Russia’s far east, and shares a maritime border on the Bering Strait with the US state of Alaska.

The Kremlin said Putin would inspect a year-round greenhouse complex, talk to residents, and meet with the city’s mayor as they say they’re ‘mastering domestic goods production’.

He sniffed basil and grabbed tomatoes during the greenhouse visit.

The president has never visited the region in his more than two decades in power – the last Russian leader to visit the area was Dmitry Medvedev in 2008.

Around 100 residents gathered to watch and film Putin’s motorcade arrive, amid -30°C temperatures.

He drove around the region on an all-terrain vehicle called a ‘Khishchnik’ – Russian for ‘predator’ – during the trip.

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