Ukraine’s top commander warned on Friday of “heavy fighting” expected in the Kharkiv area, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was creating a “buffer zone” in the area.
Speaking during a state visit to China, Putin said Russia was creating a “buffer zone” in northeastern Ukraine to protect its border regions, but also said the occupation of Ukraine’s second-largest city was not part of it. of the current plan, reports Reuters.
“They are shooting directly in the center of the city, in the residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. This is what we are doing,” said the first of Russia.
Russian forces were able to advance 10 kilometers in one place in the Kharkiv region, although Ukrainian forces have “stabilized” the front, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainian media in comments published on Friday.
