Russia to create buffer zone along border with Ukraine
The Russian Armed Forces are currently working on the task of creating a buffer zone.
The Kremlin has decided to create a security buffer zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced during an operational meeting with members of the government.
As the head of state noted, the Russian Armed Forces are working to solve this problem. “A decision was made to create the necessary security buffer zone along the borders. Our armed forces are currently solving this problem, the work is underway,” Putin said.
The President also drew attention to the fact that, given the situation that has developed in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, it is necessary to begin work now. This is necessary in order to restore and rebuild all destroyed and damaged infrastructure, as well as to provide assistance to people who want to return to their home villages, if possible.
At the same time, Putin pointed out, it is important to restore all transport links and ensure the stable operation of industrial and agricultural enterprises, and provide support to entrepreneurs and teams.
https://virtualbrest.ru/news155126.php
Any verification of this?
Russian Security Council Secretary Dmitry
Medvedev stated on April 29 that Russia's war in Ukraine must end in Russian “victory” and the “destruction” of the current Ukrainian government.[1] Senior Kremlin officials continue to signal that Russia has greater territorial ambitions than just the occupied areas of Ukraine, particularly in areas bordering the Black Sea. Russian Presidential Aide and former Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev claimed in an interview with Kremlin newswire TASS published on April 29 that Ukrainian civilians, particularly those living in the Black Sea region, must “determine their own future.”[2] Patrushev specifically noted that Odesa City spent over two centuries as the Russian Empire's and Soviet Union's outpost in the Black Sea and claimed that Odesa City residents have “nothing in common” with the current Ukrainian government. These statements are a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2023 claim that Ukrainians living in the Black Sea region have nothing “to do with Ukraine” and that Odesa is a “Russian city” and follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s April 14, 2025 claim that the Ukrainian government “does not represent” residents of Odesa City and other Ukrainian territories.[3] Patrushev claimed that Russia “respects the will of the [Ukrainian] people” and attempted to justify Russia's illegal annexation of occupied Crimea, Donbas, and “Novorossiya” — an invented region in Ukraine which the Kremlin has claimed includes all of eastern and southern Ukraine and is an “integral” part of Russia.[4] Medvedev also claimed that the current Ukrainian government does not speak for the Ukrainian people.[5] Medvedev’s and Patrushev’s statements reference the longstanding Kremlin demand for regime change in Ukraine with the installation of a pro-Russian puppet government that could struggle to oppose or even support the Kremlin's goal to occupy more territory in Ukraine at a later time of the Kremlin's choosing.[6]
Senior Russian officials reiterated the longstanding, false Russian narrative that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate, likely in order to set conditions to manipulate ceasefire negotiations and renege on any future Russian-Ukrainian agreements at a time of Russia's choosing. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on April 29 that the “illegitimacy” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency would create legal difficulties in direct peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but that Russia is more interested in starting negotiations and “everything else is secondary.”[7] Peskov claimed on April 24 that Russia would restart its war should “people...question the legitimacy” of Zelensky and stated that Russia has “no confidence” in the Ukrainian government.[8] Putin and other senior Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that all Ukrainian governments since 2014 are “illegitimate” and that Russia would not view any agreements concluded with the current Ukrainian government as binding.[9] Putin and other Russian officials have similarly claimed that Zelensky is illegitimate because Ukraine did not hold presidential elections in 2024, and have additionally alleged that all Ukrainian civil authorities are therefore illegitimate since the president appoints regional officials.[10] The Ukrainian Constitution explicitly prohibits elections during periods of martial law and invasion by a hostile country, however.[11] The Kremlin is deliberately coupling its purported interest in Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations with its false narrative of Zelensky’s illegitimacy in order to set conditions for Russia to claim that any future peace settlement that Russia signs with Zelensky is illegitimate, to renege on the agreement, and relaunch the invasion at the time of Russia's choosing. Any long-term peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine must include Russia's explicit recognition of the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian Constitution.
Kremlin officials within Putin's inner circle continue to threaten NATO as Putin himself refrains from doing so — likely as part of Kremlin efforts to justify future Russian aggression against NATO to the Russian population. Medvedev claimed that the West is attempting to use a principle of “peace through force” to harm Russia, but that Russia's only possible response to this principle is “peace through fear.”[17] Medvedev claimed that other approaches do not work but that “fear still works.” Medvedev claimed that the leaders in the European Union (EU) are “Russophobic” and that Russia's relations with Europe have “passed the point of no return.”[18] Medvedev attempted to argue that allegations that Russia is trying to attack Europe are “nonsense.”[19] Patrushev claimed that parts of Europe, including France and Germany, are “flirting with the Nazis” and “deploying the military machine against Russia.”[20] Patrushev claimed that the United Kingdom (UK), the EU, and NATO leaders are threatening Russia and criticized NATO for holding large-scale exercises on its eastern flank, claiming that these exercises are practicing offensive actions against Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on April 29 at the “Great Heritage — Common Future” forum dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and claimed that Russia must prevent the revival of Nazism and the spread of destructive ideologies, including Russophobia and national or religious intolerance.[21] Putin's statements paralleled those of Medvedev and Patrushev, but were more tempered as Putin did not criticize or threaten Europe. Kremlin officials, including those within Putin's inner circle, have recently threatened European states, including NATO member states, and are setting conditions to justify potential future Russian aggression against Europe.[22]
Putin promoted his previously proposed Eurasian security architecture on April 29 as part of Russian efforts to create an alternative Russian-led bloc that furthers Putin's goals of destroying NATO and weakening the West and its allies. Putin claimed that the world must create a new security architecture, particularly in Eurasia.[23] Putin claimed that the basis of this Eurasian security architecture could be already existing organizations, such as the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Patrushev similarly claimed in the April 29 TASS interview that the “Western-centric world” is no longer useful and that the popularity of BRICS and the SCO is growing.[24] Putin first proposed an alternative Eurasian and world security system in June 2024, reportedly with the support of People's Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping.[25] The organizations that Putin listed as the possible foundation of his proposed Eurasian security architecture are mostly Russian- or PRC-dominated and are meant as alternatives to the United Nations (UN) or US-led alliances. Putin's renewed calls for the creation of a Eurasian security architecture notably come as Russian and North Korean officials abruptly started to publicly acknowledge their military cooperation in Russia's war in Ukraine.[26] ISW continues to assess that Russia has been building a web of overlapping coalitions and partnerships, including within the CSTO, CIS, ASEAN, BRICS, and SCO, to offset the limits of Russian state power.[27] These efforts aim to make Russia's geopolitical clout more resilient and to expand the space in which Russia can spread narratives and create perceptions.Patriarch Kirill is unhappy with the “excessive glorification” of the DPRK military. He was advised to pray for the success of the Koreans.
The head of the Church shared his dissatisfaction in a conversation with several bishops close to him. “The Patriarch believes that the SVO and, especially, the liberation of the Kursk region is a holy war, a battle for true Orthodoxy and Holy Russia. And the main Heroes of this war should be our Orthodox soldiers. It is good that the Koreans came to us and helped, without a doubt. But their excessive glorification is wrong. The real Hero of the SVO for society should be our soldier - Russian, Orthodox,” a source close to the primate in the Russian Orthodox Church told us.
According to him, Patriarch Kirill even appealed to the Ministry of Defense with an appeal “not to hide the exploits of the Russian military behind numerous news stories about the DPRK soldiers.” “The ministry responded that without the Koreans we would still be liberating the Kursk region. The patriarch said that he understands, but our guys still need to be heroized. In addition, he recalled that at first, the DPRK military committed acts of blasphemy at the front ( we wrote about one such incident, - ed.). The ministry responded that they understand everything, but praising the DPRK fighters is now the most important task. Even more important than talking about the enemy's losses,” the channel's source also reported. The Ministry of Defense confirmed the fact of the head of the Church's claims. But they admitted that they did not take them seriously, because the patriarch is not a military man. They also suggested that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church pray for the success of our North Korean friends - on the fronts of the North Military District [war in Ukraine] and other wars in which they may end up.