'Trojan horse': expert warns of proposed 40‑kilometer buffer zone in Ukraine

Dmytro Sniehyrov, military expert and co-chair of the Civic Initiative Prava Sprava, said this on Espreso TV.

“Politico has once again released so-called controlled information. A 40-kilometer demonstrative, so-called buffer zone is effectively a withdrawal from Donetsk region, a veiled form of territorial concessions by Ukraine.

Ukraine should in no way consider such assertions. This is most likely the Russian version. And it is no coincidence that Western media were chosen — to gauge the mood of both the political leadership of European countries and Ukrainian society,” explained Sniehyrov.

The military expert noted that a 40-kilometer buffer zone would reach the administrative borders of Dnipropetrovsk region, which would effectively mean losing control over Donetsk’s largest industrial cities — the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk agglomerations. This is exactly Russia’s plan.

“Alongside this controlled information drop in Politico, statements have emerged from the Turkish Foreign Minister claiming that Russia has changed its vision for ending the war in Ukraine and no longer insists on controlling four regions, narrowing its demands to two.

But the Russians already control 99.9% of Luhansk region. Accordingly, the remaining issue is control over Donetsk region. This is why such messages appear. They are information drops, a Trojan horse being pushed into the Ukrainian information space,” Sniehyrov emphasized.

• European leaders are considering creating a 40-kilometer buffer zone between Ukrainian and Russian forces as part of a potential peace agreement.