Berlusconi visits annexed Crimea
Silvio Berlusconi, Former Italian Prime Minister arrived with a "private visit" in the Crimea annexed by Russia.
Berlusconi arrived on September 11 in Yalta, where he plans to take in the sights and have "several meetings".
As admitted in the Kremlin on September 9, during the trip Berlusconi could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Berlusconi is also expected to visit Sevastopol, and then go to Moscow and return to Italy on 13 September.
Earlier this year Berlusconi, who is a close friend of Putin, visited the Russian president on his villa on the Italian island of Sardinia, also in June Berlusconi and Putin spent a weekend in Siberia, a holiday retreat in the Republic of Altai, owned by "Gazprom".
Ukraine has formally closed its Crimean airports, so Berlusconi's arrival on the peninsula will violate the rules of entry into the occupied territory. After a similar visit by French members of Parliament in July 2015, Ukraine security services banned them from entering the country.