Kyiv to set up 'buffer zone' on Russian side of border

Askold Krushelnycky meets a Ukrainian colonel in Sumy who says his men have a 'new swagger' and are there to stay

- Askold Krushelnycky

Ukrainian forces are planning to press deeper into Russia as part of their incursion into Kursk, with thousands more ready to enter the fray, a senior Ukrainian colonel has told The Independent.

The colonel, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak publicly, said they were planning to create a "buffer zone" in Russia, one that mirrors the area carved out of the nearby Ukrainian region of Kharkiv by Moscow's troops in May.

He also argued that Ukrainians want to hold onto the territory they have taken for use as a bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations.

Some 8000 Ukrainian military personnel are already in Russia, he said, where the commander in chief of Kyiv's forces General Oleksary Syrskyi claims his men hold around 1000 square kilometres (400 square miles) of land after launching the historic cross-border assault just over a week ago.

"Putin declared earlier this year that he wanted to create a grey zone open to the Ukrainian side of the frontier and he has been bombing the civilian population to create a buffer zone that is uninhabitable," the colonel said.

"Well, we have plans to create a buffer zone also but on the Russian side of the border."