According to a TASS report on December 31, 2025, General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, conveyed President Putin’s instructions during an inspection of the Northern Military District that day, to continue expanding the "security zone" in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions of northeastern Ukraine in 2026 to ensure the safety of civilians in the neighboring Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk.