Putin, speaking in military uniform during a visit to a command post on Friday, 16 October, said the zone will not be a subject for peace negotiations with Kyiv.
Dmitry Peskov said the planned zone would run 660 kilometres along the border and that about 70% of it is already under Russian control. He did not say how deep the zone would extend.
Putin linked the zone to the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region in 2024-2025, describing the task of creating it as being carried out successfully.
Putin said Russian forces still need to take about 10% of the Donetsk region, which Russia announced it had annexed in 2022 along with three other Ukrainian regions.
On Friday, 16 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is establishing a "security zone" inside Ukraine along its border, and that the zone will not be a subject of any future peace negotiations with Kyiv. Speaking during a visit to a command post, Putin appeared in military uniform, a rare sight at his public appearances, and his remarks were broadcast on Russian television. He tied the zone to the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region in 2024-2025, saying Russian armed forces had been tasked not only with pushing the enemy off Russian soil but also with setting up the zone on adjacent territory. He described that task as being carried out successfully. The Kremlin announced the remarks on Friday.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, gave more detail on the plan. He said the planned zone would run 660 kilometres along the border and that about 70% of it is already under Russian control. Peskov did not say how deep the zone would extend into Ukraine. The reporting available does not include independent confirmation of the control figures the Kremlin gave. Putin framed the zone as a way to guarantee the absolute security of Russia's border regions in the future.
Putin also said Russian forces still need to take roughly 10% of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine to control the whole area Moscow claims. Russia announced the annexation of Donetsk and three other Ukrainian regions in 2022, but has not captured all of their territory. Putin had previously spoken about the need for such a zone without giving its dimensions or saying it was non-negotiable, so the latest statement marks a harder Russian position than his earlier remarks.
The statement is not an agreement with Ukraine, and it does not mean Kyiv will accept such an arrangement. The available information does not clarify whether the zone would include Ukrainian land or what its exact route would be. No timeline for full deployment has been given, and the resumption of peace talks remains uncertain.
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Putin said on Friday, 16 October, that Russia is establishing a security zone inside Ukraine along the border and will not discuss it in future peace talks with Kyiv. The Kremlin says about 70% of the planned 660 km zone is already under Russian control.
AI text based on reports by NewsIT, HotNews.ro, rmf24.pl and other publishers. Published .