Putin tied the advance into Kharkiv Oblast to the creation of a 'sanitary zone' in response to the shelling of Belgorod. He made this statement during a press conference in China on May 17, following negotiations with Xi Jinping.
Vladimir Putin asserted that the Russian army has no plans to invade Kharkiv and placed the blame for the events in the region on Ukraine.
"They have been shelling residential areas of border territories, including Belgorod. Civilians are dying, it's evident they are targeting the city center. I have already stated publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create sanitary zones. And that's precisely what we're doing now," said Putin.
Putin initially mentioned his plans to create a 'sanitary zone' to protect Belgorod on June 13, 2023, during a meeting with war correspondents.
A video featuring a BM-21 'Grad' launching missiles at Kharkiv Oblast from a highway in Belgorod Oblast surfaced online just a day ago. In the video, there is a traffic jam, with drivers waiting for the shelling to cease. Ukrainian investigators concluded that it was filmed in Shebekino.
