Putin in a military meeting near the border with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other senior military officials, according to a statement from the Kremlin early Saturday. The meeting took place in the city of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, near the Ukrainian border.

According to the Kremlin, Putin must have received interrogations from Gerasimov and his colleagues during the meeting. It is not shown in greater detail what was said to have been said during the meeting. It is also not clear exactly when the meeting should have taken place, but in the photos it appears to have taken place in the evening.

The meeting comes shortly after the United States gave the go-ahead to send Danish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and after Ukraine said it had achieved success with its counter-offensive on the southeastern front.

In a clip from the state-owned Russian news agency, Putin is seen getting out of the car and then shaking hands with Gerasimov before they enter the building together.

Rostov-on-Don became a center for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The military headquarters where the meeting is said to have taken place garnered significant attention when it was briefly captured by the Wagner paramilitary group during its insurrection against the Russian leadership over a mid-summer weekend.

The Wagner Group wanted to overthrow Gerasimov, who had rarely been seen in public since the uprising.