Putin's denial of the Kharkiv invasion amid intensified Russian attacks
Vladimir Putin visited China. The Russian president was asked about Kharkiv, which has been subjected to intense Russian attacks for a long time. Putin firmly denies plans to take over the city and points out his goal. Is that the case? Experts have spoken out.
Much of the information conveyed by Russian media and officials is likely not true. Such reports may be part of the informational warfare from the Russian Federation.
Since early May, the Russian side has intensified attacks targeted at Kharkiv. The city has been hit by numerous missiles, which are killing civilians and destroying infrastructure. Some observers indicate that Putin's army might attempt to capture Kharkiv. However, he denies this.
On May 17, during his visit to China, the Russian president stated that his goal is not the city but the creation of a buffer zone in this region, which will protect the Belgorod region, which has already been targeted by Ukrainians multiple times.
I publicly stated that if that happens, we would be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone. That's exactly what we are doing - stated Vladimir Putin.
Putin emphasized that the Russian army is systematically moving forward and operating "according to the plan." He repeated that, at this moment, the plan does not include taking Kharkiv. The Kremlin spokesperson maintained a similar tone in a recent statement. The problem is that the situation is dynamic and can change quickly.
Does Russia want to create a buffer zone? Many indications point to this
Dmitry Peskov reported that Russian plans to create a buffer zone are related to the United States providing Ukraine with missiles with a range exceeding 300 kilometres. Russia wants to limit the possibility of Ukrainians attacking areas within the Russian Federation.
The American Institute for the Study of War predicts Russia will create an approximately 10-kilometre buffer zone to secure its logistics centers.
Russian forces' relatively rapid rate of advances in Vovchansk and their reported destruction of several bridges across key waterways within the settlement suggest that Russian forces are prioritizing the creation of a "buffer zone" over a deeper penetration, as ISW previously assessed they would. - indicate ISW experts.
