Before Kaliningrad erupts, Putin’s ‘first targets’ revealed? Kyiv & Chernihiv plans spark new fears

Vladimir Putin could be weighing a dramatic return to Ukraine's northern front, according to a senior Ukrainian official citing Kyiv's intelligence. Pavlo Palisa says Moscow is assessing possible ground offensives toward Kyiv and Chernihiv, although no Russian strike formations are currently massing near the border and no attack date has been identified. Ukraine also believes Russia wants roughly 20-km-deep “buffer zones” across Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, with scope for further expansion, while pursuing the entire Donbas. With Putin also meeting Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, could Russia's failed 2022 northern gamble be preparing for a comeback?