Russia's “buffer zone” plan means battles for Sumy, Kharkiv — Ukrainian officer

Maksym Zhorin made a statement on his Telegram channel.

 "A buffer zone in several regions would be a disaster for us. There will be no 'buffer zone' — these would effectively become their territories," he wrote.

He stressed that Russia is not even trying to conceal their intention to advance further.

"In this case, we should immediately prepare for battles for Sumy and Kharkiv," Zhorin warned.

• On May 22, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian armed forces were working to create a "security buffer zone" along the border with Ukraine. In response, Kyiv called for increased international pressure on Moscow. 
• Meanwhile, in the Sumy direction, Ukraine’s Defense Forces are making every effort to establish a "buffer zone" on Russian territory to prevent Russian troops from shelling border settlements and infiltrating Ukrainian territory.