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Putin Announces Creation of So-Called “Security Buffer Zone” Along Border With Ukraine

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Dariia Mykhailenko
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Putin Announces Creation of So-Called “Security Buffer Zone” Along Border With Ukraine
Russian leader Vladimir Putin smiles during his meeting with students at the Sirius Education Center For Talented Children in Sirius, Russia, on May 19, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has announced the creation of a so-called “security buffer zone” along the Russian-Ukrainian border, according to Russian state news agency TASS on May 21.

Putin claimed that the initiative is already being implemented by Russian Armed Forces units.

“A decision has been made to create a security buffer zone along the border between Russia and Ukraine. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are carrying out this task,” he stated.

Putin has specified where he plans to establish the so-called security buffer zone along the border between Ukraine and Russia. It will include the Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions. It still remains unclear what specific military or administrative measures Russia plans to undertake within the framework of this buffer zone.

Earlier, Pavel Zolotaryov, head of the Glushkovsky district in Russia’s Kursk region, told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the Ukrainian city of Sumy should be annexed to Russia.

Zolotaryov said that Sumy must belong to Russia during a meeting between Putin and local officials in Kursk. The remark came in response to Putin’s question about how far Ukrainian forces should be pushed back from the Russian border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces have launched and are continuing offensive operations across all front lines.

“Russia has launched an offensive against Ukraine on all fronts. The main focus is the Sumy region, where 70,000 troops are concentrated,” he said.

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