Putin promises he will 'NEVER' give Crimea back to Ukraine

VLADIMIR Putin has said will not give Crimea back to Ukraine - under any circumstances - in a documentary released yesterday ahead of his expected re-election in this week's polls.

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When asked if there were any circumstances under which he would be ready to give up Crimea, the Russian president said: "What, have you gone mad?

"There are no such circumstances and never will be.”

The two-hour documentary, ‘Putin’, was published by notorious pro-Kremlin TV host Dmitry Kiselev online ahead of March 18th’s presidential election.

It was also produced by journalist Andrei Kondrashov, who is a spokesman for Putin's campaign.

The documentary’s interviews include many of Putin’s allies; those from former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to childhood friend and cellist Sergei Roldugin.

Igor Sechin, the elusive chief executive of oil giant Rosneft, said he had served under Putin in various capacities for nearly 30 years.

He said: "Honestly speaking, I don't know a single mistake he has made over these years.

"He is very careful at making decisions."

When asked about his own life and experiences, Putin said he was capable of forgiving but “not everything”.

He said: ”Generally speaking, I cannot complain that I've come across any serious events that could be called a betrayal.”

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported Russian-speaking insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet country.

This followed a Western-backed uprising which ousted a Kremlin-backed regime from power in Kiev.

The peninsula's annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War.

State-run polls expect Putin to take nearly 70 per cent of the vote with a turnout of more than 60 per cent.