The Kremlin shows no signs of readiness to end the war against Ukraine.
On the contrary, recent statements from Moscow again indicate an attempt to expand the war under the familiar pretext of “border security.”
The source of this assessment is a TSN publication from July 5, 2026, citing the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The material states that Putin continues to count on the capture of new Ukrainian territories and the establishment of full political control over Ukraine.
What happened on July 3 and why it matters
The key episode is Putin’s meeting with Russian military commanders on July 3, 2026.
At this meeting, the head of the Kremlin again spoke about the need to create a so-called “buffer zone” along the Russian border.
According to TSN, citing ISW, the commander of the Russian troop grouping, Yevgeny Nikiforov, stated that Russian troops allegedly need to advance in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions to “protect” Russia’s border regions.
In Kremlin language, this sounds like defense.
But in essence, it is an attempt to justify new seizures of Ukrainian territory.
Sumy and Kharkiv regions as the next target
Sumy and Kharkiv regions reappear in Russian rhetoric not by chance.
Both regions border Russia, so the Kremlin uses them as a convenient propaganda argument: first talking about threats to Russian regions, then calling the advance of the Russian army a “necessary measure,” and after that trying to present the occupation as a “buffer.”
ISW analysts in their assessment for July 4, 2026, separately noted Nikiforov’s statements about creating a “buffer zone” in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
For Ukraine, this means not an abstract military formula, but a direct threat to new areas, cities, and civilians.
What really lies behind the word “buffer”
According to ISW, the Russian “buffer zone” remains a vague and practically unattainable goal as long as an independent Ukraine capable of resisting exists.
That is why such a formula is dangerous: it has no clear endpoint.
If the Kremlin declares one line insufficiently safe, it can demand the next one, then another one — and each new seizure is explained with the same word “buffer.”
TSN conveys the analysts’ conclusion: it is not only about military security but about the Kremlin’s desire for further occupation of Ukrainian territories beyond the already captured areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Why this is important for Israel
For the Israeli audience, the importance of this story is not only the Ukrainian map.
A broader logic is visible here: the aggressor speaks the language of security but in practice uses it to advance the army, pressure a neighboring country, and destroy international rules.
In this context, NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency draws attention to the fact that Russian rhetoric about the “buffer” is very similar to the political packaging of further escalation.
The Kremlin is not just explaining the ongoing war — it is preparing arguments in advance for its continuation.
At the same time, Putin continues to criticize Western support for Ukraine.
According to ISW, Moscow uses Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory as an informational pretext to justify further escalation, and attacks on Western aid to Kyiv are needed by the Kremlin to weaken international support for Ukraine.
What plans do experts see in the Kremlin
The Ukrainian material also provides an assessment by Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
In his opinion, Putin is interested not only in the Donetsk region but in all of Ukraine.
This is an important emphasis.
Even if the Kremlin is not currently speaking about Kyiv as openly as in 2022, this does not mean abandoning the idea of politically subjugating Ukraine.
Analyst Jack Buckby believes that Putin is no longer fighting for Kyiv in the previous format.
In 2022, Moscow publicly spoke about the intention to capture Kyiv, carry out the so-called “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, but now the priorities have significantly shifted.
Kyiv is not the first target, but Ukraine remains the target
The change in priorities does not mean a change in the main goal.
The Kremlin may temporarily focus on the Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions, but strategically it continues to seek control over Ukraine as a state.
That is why the talk about a “buffer zone” cannot be perceived as a technical detail of the front.
It is a political signal.
The Kremlin shows that it is not ready to stop at the already captured territories and continues to look for formulas through which new attacks, new mobilization of resources, and new pressure on Ukraine can be explained.
For Israel, Ukrainians in Israel, and Jewish communities connected with Ukraine, this plot is also important because Russia’s war against Ukraine has long become part of a broader test of the international order.
If the seizure of territory can be called “security,” then any state next to an aggressive regime is under threat.