Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, and the eastern region of Luhansk that Moscow unilaterally annexed last year.

Russia's presidential office said on Tuesday that Putin visited Kherson to be briefed at military headquarters about the combat situation there and in the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region.

Putin praised the achievements of Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, the commander of Russia's airborne troops.

The office also said he met with troops in the eastern region of Luhansk.

A state-run news agency reported that Putin visited the Kherson and Luhansk regions for the first time since the start of the Ukraine invasion.

Last month, Putin visited the unilaterally annexed Crimea, and the city of Mariupol in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. The trip drew fierce protests from the Ukrainian government.

Observers say Putin aims to motivate frontline soldiers, while stressing Russia's intention to continue its invasion.

They say Russia seeks to showcase its control over parts of Ukraine, as Kyiv seeks to recapture them with military support from the West.