Russia's Gerasimov says Putin ordered Ukraine buffer zone expansion in 2026

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

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.