Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov made the announcement while inspecting the Sever (North) group of forces

The Russian military has been progressively pushing Ukrainian troops away from the border, expanding a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkov Regions, the chief of Russia's General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has stated.

According to a press release published by Russia's Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Gerasimov made the announcement while inspecting the grouping of forces 'Sever' ('North').

"The forces of the joint troop grouping are confidently moving deeper into the enemy's defenses," with the offensive having reached a record pace in December, the senior commander said.

"In a month's time, more than 700 square kilometers of territory was liberated," Gerasimov estimated.

After driving Ukrainian troops out of Russia's Kursk Region earlier this year, the troops of 'Sever' ('North') began establishing a cordon sanitaire in the adjacent Ukrainian Sumy and Kharkov regions. According to Gerasimov, the Russian military has taken control of 32 localities there, with the city of Volchansk in Kharkov Region being the largest.

Moscow's forces continued to extend the buffer zone in December at the order of President Vladimir Putin, the military chief noted.

During his inspection, Gerasimov also decorated multiple service members with state awards and extended New Year's greetings to the troops, the Defense Ministry's statement said.

Last month, the top general announced that another Ukrainian stronghold and a key logistical hub in Kharkov Region, the city of Kupyansk, was under full control of Russian forces. The ongoing operation to destroy lingering Ukrainian units, which are tactically encircled to the east of the town, is expected to be concluded by the end of February at the latest.

Kiev, in turn, has rejected reports of the encirclement and dismissed Moscow's statements as inflated.

(RT.com)