Russian forces are working to establish a buffer zone along the country's border with Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, following his return from the Kursk region in southern Russia The decision to establish the zone had been taken, Putin said by video link during a government meeting. He did not stipulate where the buffer zone would lie or how large it would be. "Our forces are currently engaged in solving this task, hostile firing points are being actively suppressed, and the work is ongoing," he said.