Zelensky's aide proposes setting up demilitarized zone in Russia
Mykhailo Podolyak, one of the closest advisers to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, proposed on Monday that a "demilitarization zone" of 100 to 120 kilometers be established in four Russian regions bordering Ukraine "to prevent a recurrence of aggression in the future."
"A mandatory international control contingent" would likely be needed in Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov initially, according to Podolyak. Ukraine has stepped up its artillery attacks on Russian-held areas in the Donbass, as well as Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions since losing Bakhmut earlier this month.
In a recent interview with Radio Free Europe, Podolyak said that Ukraine has to "eradicate everything Russian" upon taking Crimea back and that "only Ukrainian cultural space or global cultural space" should be allowed on the peninsula. He also called for the deportation of Crimea's dominant Russian-speaking population.