A verbal slip by Russia's Vladimir Putin on a rare visit to occupied Ukraine suggested the trip happened days earlier and was kept secret

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the headquarters of the "Dnieper" army group in the Kherson Region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, in this still image taken from handout video released on April 18, 2023. Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to occupied Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Putin visited on April 17, but video footage seemed to refute that.

Putin is seen saying Orthodox Easter, held on April 16, was "coming up," suggesting the visit was earlier.

Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to occupied Ukraine, but a verbal slip by the Russian president casts doubt on when the trip actually took place.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Putin visited a military headquarters in Russian-occupied Ukraine, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the visit took place on Monday, April 17, state media outlet TASS reported.

But a comment made by Putin in footage released by the Kremlin hinted that it was likely filmed days earlier.

The BBC reported that the Kremlin initially released footage in which Putin says that Easter is "coming up," but then edited the video to remove Putin saying those words.

Russian Orthodox Easter was on April 16.

The trip was Putin's second recorded visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. He previously visited the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol and Crimea region in March.

Putin's more secretive movements contrast with those of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has made multiple trips to the front line since the invasions started.

The Kremlin said Putin visited a military headquarters in the Kherson region and a national guard headquarters in the Luhansk region. Both regions are partially occupied by Russia.

It also said that Putin attended a military command meeting and heard reports about what was happening in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which Russia has annexed.

The Kremlin pushed back on suggestions the footage had been taken earlier, with Peskov saying on Tuesday that Putin's mention of Easter had been misinterpreted.

"The fact is that our Easter lasts 40 days, we continue celebrating it, now we have Easter week," he said, according to TASS. "That's why it is erroneous to pay attention to that phrase and make hypotheses about something that was never real. The trip took place yesterday."

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