Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting on the “special military operation” amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict in Moscow, Russia, December 29, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Dec 31 (Reuters) – Russia’s top general said its forces were pressing forward in northeastern Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin had ordered expansion of territory Moscow calls a buffer zone there in 2026, Russian news agencies said on Wednesday.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Putin ordered expansion in 2026 of the buffer zone in Ukraine’s regions of Sumy and Kharkiv near the Russian border, RIA said, adding that he inspected the “North” troop grouping.
The grouping, formed in early 2024, has operated in northeastern Ukraine, seeking to create a buffer along the border and trying to push back Ukrainian forces there for further advances.
Gerasimov’s remarks follow Russia’s vow to retaliate for what it claimed, without evidence, was an attempt to attack Putin’s residence, an allegation Kyiv denied, saying it was aimed at derailing peace talks as the war nears its fourth year.
There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine to the Gerasimov report.
Putin has repeatedly portrayed the buffer zone as a way to push Ukrainian forces and weapons farther from Russia’s border, citing cross-border shelling and drone attacks on regions such as Belgorod and Kursk.
Kyiv has rejected Moscow’s buffer zone calling it an idea Russia is using to justify deeper incursions into Ukrainian territory.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Moscow’s plans for Sumy and Kharkiv are “mad” and will be resisted as Ukraine defends the regions.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Suggested Topics:
Read Next
ago World category
ago China category
ago Europe category
Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region, damaging residential buildings and infrastructure and injuring four people, including three children, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
Site Index
About Reuters
Stay Informed
Information you can trust
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.