Russia’s plans to create a buffer zone in Kharkiv, Sumy and, partially, Chernihiv regions remain unchanged – to a depth of up to 20 kilometers, with the possibility of further expansion, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Office of the President Pavlo Palisa said.
As an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported, he said this during a meeting with journalists.
"The previous plans to create a buffer zone in Kharkiv and Sumy regions, and partially in Chernihiv region, to a depth of up to 20 kilometers and with the possibility of further expansion also remain in place. The expansion of this buffer zone is primarily linked to changes in the technical and tactical-technical characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles," he explained.
The brigadier general noted that "figuratively speaking, the kill zone is growing, and the capabilities of drones are growing."
Commenting on reports about the possible opening of new fronts, he confirmed that the Ukrainian side had indeed received intelligence information, verified through several sources, that the military leadership of the Russian Armed Forces had received an assignment from the political leadership to plan such an operation under several scenarios toward Kyiv and Chernihiv.
"I ask you to pay attention to this: plan and prepare. So, indeed, several options were being considered there. Accordingly, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has developed possible options for responding to, defending against, protecting against and countering these actions," he said.
According to Palisa, Ukraine does not currently see the creation of an offensive grouping in these directions. He stressed that the priority task for the Ukrainian side is "to prevent conditions from being created that would allow the Russians to launch any offensive actions at all."
