Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the goal of his country’s incursion into Russia is to create a buffer zone to protect against further Russian attacks. His statement echoes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims about Russia’s offensive in the Kharkiv region in the spring. Here’s a closer look at Ukraine’s first major campaign across the Russian border and the possible strategy behind it.
Ukrainian soldiers are fighting in the Kursk region, trying to take new territory and hold onto what they’ve already gained. Ukraine says it wants a buffer zone—territory that Russia needs to cross over if it wants to attack. Ukraine claims to have seized more than 1,000 square kilometers in the Kursk region, though this is just 3% of the overall area. Russia reports evacuating more than 120,000 people from their homes, while about 1 million people live in Greater Kursk, which is mainly agricultural.
So, what does Kursk have that Ukraine wants? For one, there’s a major air base still well outside Ukraine’s area of control but much closer to its range-limited missiles. Russia uses this base to launch attacks on Ukrainian soil, and taking it out would be a significant gain. Russia also uses Kursk to send troops and equipment into Ukraine. Taking the territory and destroying bridges, as Ukraine did , makes it much harder for Moscow to deliver men and supplies where they’re needed.
Ukraine insists it isn’t trying to take Russia’s territory to occupy or exploit it. However, if Ukraine wants a buffer, it needs to hold the land it has conquered. It has already started placing mines to defend what it has taken, while Russia has begun building more fortifications and digging trenches within its own territory to contain the Ukrainian advance. The further Ukraine pushes the Russians away, the larger the buffer zone and the harder it becomes for Russia to attack Ukrainian territory.
