Russian control over the future “security zone“ in Ukraine will completely cover Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev in an official statement. His position comes as a direct response to the international reactions after the offensive of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and the capture of the strategic logistics hub of Konstantinovka. Medvedev's words confirm earlier orders by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the phased construction of a large-scale "sanitary cordon" along the Russian border.
According to the Kremlin's plans, the new zone should completely isolate the border regions and deprive the Ukrainian army of the ability to strike at Russian territory.
Dmitry Medvedev sharply criticized Kiev and its Western partners, calling them "hypocritical" for their dissatisfaction with the progress of the Russian army.
„Lying bastards, drowning in the vomit of their own hypocrisy, do not be fooled! The truth will prevail. "And the new security zone that the head of state announced yesterday will pass through Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions," he wrote, commenting on the reaction of Kiev and its sponsors to the liberation of Konstantinovka by Russian troops.
Moscow ties the expansion of the buffer zone directly to the capture of the city of Konstantinovka and the continued military assistance from the West.
Military and political context
The concept of the so-called “buffer zone“ became necessary after Russian border regions such as Kursk and Belgorod became the subject of frequent Ukrainian attacks. Initially, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the creation of a “security belt“ with a depth of between 8 and 12 km in Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
However, with his statement, Medvedev once again demonstrated Russia's maximalist goals. The inclusion of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – a major industrial center far behind the original front line – shows Moscow’s ambition to penetrate deep into central Ukraine.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say such statements are aimed at forcing Ukraine to accept heavy territorial concessions. Kiev and its Western allies have strongly rejected the Kremlin’s plans, calling them an illegal annexation and an attempt to undermine the country’s sovereignty.