Putin: No Discussion of a 660-Kilometre “Security Zone” Inside Ukraine

nternational Desk. Moscow, October 16, 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia is creating a “security zone” inside Ukraine along the border between the two countries, and that the area will not be negotiable in any future talks with Kiev.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the planned zone is 660 kilometers long and 70 percent of it is currently under Russian control. He did not say how deep the zone would extend into Ukraine.

Some media outlets, citing Al Jazeera, have written that about 450 kilometers out of 660 kilometers are under Russian control. This estimate is close to 70 percent.

What Putin said

While inspecting a command post in military uniform, Putin said the move was in response to Ukraine’s operation in the Kursk region of Russia in 2024-25. He said Russian forces were tasked not only with driving the enemy from their own territory, but also with creating a security zone or buffer zone in adjacent territory. The goal is to ensure the future absolute security of Russia’s border regions. Russia has no plans to make this a subject of possible peace talks.

The goal is to ensure a buffer zone. 

Putin has spoken of the need for such a zone before. But he has never previously specified its planned extent, nor has he said it would be off the table for negotiations. He first announced the creation of a “buffer zone” along the border in May 2025. In July 2026, the Kremlin said the zone would be expanded in response to Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.

The meaning of implementing a plan

To implement this plan, Russia would have to seize territory in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, which Russia has not claimed since the war began in 2022. Putin said in the same speech that just over 10 percent of Ukraine’s Donetsk region and 16.5 percent of Zaporizhia region were still outside the control of Russian forces.

Diplomatic context

The statement comes at a critical time in diplomatic efforts to end the war. A week earlier, a deal to sell Russian diesel to the United States was approved by President Donald Trump, followed by a fresh deterioration in relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.