The Kremlin has said that an advance by Russian forces into Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region is partly motivated by a desire to create a "buffer zone" in the country.
According to foreign media, Russia said yesterday that its forces had advanced on the border of Ukraine's east-central region, which has been fully held by Ukraine for almost the entire war so far.
Asked whether the advance was designed to create a buffer zone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Undoubtedly this is part of it."
Recall that Ukraine said that Russia launched the largest bombing in the country overnight since the start of the fighting. (A2 Televizion)