Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said he received orders from President Vladimir Putin to expand a so‑called buffer zone in two regions of Ukraine. Media noted the remarks followed threats of retaliation.
“The troops of the joint grouping are confidently advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses,” Gerasimov said, according to RIA Novosti.
He said Putin tasked the military with continuing to expand the so‑called “buffer” to ensure, as he put it, a peaceful life for residents of Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions. The outlet noted that Putin himself praised Russian forces for creating a buffer zone along the border in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
“Gerasimov’s comments follow Russia’s promise to retaliate for what it claimed, without evidence, was an attempt to attack Putin’s residence — an accusation Kyiv denied, saying it was aimed at derailing peace talks as the war nears its fourth year,” Reuters noted.
Ukraine has not yet responded to the Russian general’s statement. Putin has repeatedly framed the “buffer” as a way to push Ukrainian troops and weapons farther from the border, citing shelling and drone attacks. Kyiv’s position is different: Ukrainian officials say Russia is simply justifying a deeper incursion.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War have dissected the Kremlin’s claims about a drone attack on Putin’s residence. Statements from Moscow contradicted one another, and locals said they didn’t even hear air defenses at work. Russia has already said it is preparing a retaliatory strike, and President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of a threat to Kyiv.
Later, ISW noted that Moscow still has not provided evidence for the attack it alleged. Analysts said Russia is trying to justify insisting on the capitulation of Ukraine and the West.
