Moscow has threatened to establish a buffer zone covering most of Ukraine if Western support for Kyiv continues, coinciding with what has been described as the largest airstrike on Ukraine since the onset of the conflict.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, indicated that this buffer zone would encompass “almost all of Ukraine’s territory” if military assistance to the country persists. Medvedev shared a video on his Telegram channel depicting the gradual expansion of the marked buffer zone, shown in red, which increasingly envelops all of Ukraine, highlighted in blue.
At the conclusion of the 14-second clip, the majority of Ukraine appears shaded in red, with only a small region near Poland remaining in blue.
Last Thursday, President Vladimir Putin stated during a video conference with government officials that Russian forces are currently addressing the establishment of a security buffer zone along the Ukrainian border.
Russia launched a significant military assault on Ukraine early yesterday, which represents the largest airstrike since the war began. Hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles targeted over 30 cities and towns, including the capital Kyiv, as well as Kharkiv and Odesa.
For the second consecutive night, massive drone and missile strikes impacted Kyiv and other regions across the nation.
This latest attack was remarkable in scale, with Russia employing 367 drones and missiles, marking the largest single aerial offensive since the start of hostilities, according to Yuri Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force. He informed the Associated Press that Russia utilized a total of 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, resulting in at least 12 fatalities and numerous injuries, as reported by Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its air defense systems successfully shot down 110 Ukrainian drones within just four hours. The ministry stated that most of these drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Bryansk region, as per reports from Russian news agency Sputnik.
Military Movements
On the ground, Russia has amassed approximately 50,000 troops near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in preparation for a potential summer offensive. Reports suggest that Russia aims to reclaim territory lost during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2022, according to British channel Sky News.
Other media outlets have cited statements from Ukrainian military officials regarding Russian offensives along the front lines near Kharkiv.
Additionally, the Russian Defense Ministry announced its control over the town of Romanivka in the Donetsk region, raising the total number of towns captured in the past four days to six, across Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions.
Prisoner Exchange
Despite the escalating military actions, both sides have continued the process of a significant prisoner exchange. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners in the third phase of a major operation. Each side returned 303 additional soldiers after freeing 307 fighters and civilians on Saturday, and a total of 390 fighters and civilians on Friday. This exchange is regarded as the largest since the conflict began over three years ago.
The exchange operation, which lasted three days, commenced on Friday and primarily involved war prisoners, alongside 120 civilians from each side.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram, “Today, soldiers from our armed forces, the National Guard, border guards, and special transport services are coming home.”
This prisoner exchange represents the only tangible step towards peace emerging from the first direct talks between the warring parties in over three years. The discussions took place on May 16 but did not lead to any ceasefire agreement.