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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- December 31, 2025 08:05
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Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces are advancing in northeastern Ukraine and that President Vladimir Putin has ordered the expansion of the territory Moscow calls a neutral zone there by 2026, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.
Gerasimov said Putin had ordered the expansion of the neutral zone in Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions near the Russian border by 2026, RIA reported, adding that he had inspected the grouping of troops called "North" there.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeThe group, formed in early 2024, has been operating in northeastern Ukraine, aiming to create a neutral zone along the border and trying to push Ukrainian forces there for further advances.
Gerasimov's comments come after Russia vowed to retaliate for what it claimed, without evidence, was a Ukrainian attempt to attack Putin's residence, an accusation Kiev has denied, saying it aimed to disrupt peace talks as the war approaches its fourth year.
Putin has repeatedly portrayed the neutral zone as a way to push Ukrainian forces and weapons further away from Russia's border, citing cross-border shelling and drone strikes in regions such as Belgorod and Kursk.
Kiev has rejected Moscow's neutral zone option, calling it an idea that Russia is using to justify deeper incursions into Ukrainian territory.