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'We will build a real Russian mecca': See the bizarre photos of Putin posing at music festivals and hanging with bikers during his controversial visit to Crimea

Veronika BondarenkoAug 23, 2017, 02:59 IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, poses for a photo with participants of the annual Tavrida National Youth Educational Forum at Baikalskaya Spit in Stereguscheye village, Crimea.Alexei Druzhinin (Associated Press)

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: