Russia’s ‘Buffer Zone’ Concept Now Covers Almost All of Ukraine
A new Kremlin-issued map outlines a massive potential land grab — not as occupation, but as a military depth response to NATO-range weapons.
May 27, 2025
Buffer Zone or Blueprint? Russia’s Latest Map Escalates the Messaging
In a post on Telegram this week, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev shared a stark new visualization: a map showing nearly the entire country of Ukraine reclassified as a potential Russian buffer zone.
While the West dismisses Medvedev as the Kremlin’s “bad cop,” his threats are never off-script. This latest signal — issued in response to increased Western arms shipments — reveals the logic Moscow is now using to justify territorial escalation:
“If NATO weapons can reach 550 km, then Russia must be 650 km deep — just to be safe.”
It’s not occupation rhetoric. It’s strategic depth math.
What the Map Shows — and What It Means
The shared map leaves only a thin sliver of Ukraine near the Polish border untouched. The rest? Labeled as a potential buffer zone designed to:
Extend Russian control beyond the range of NATO long-range artillery.
Push frontline vulnerabilities westward, buying reaction time for Russian forces.
Force the West to face the logistical reality of supporting a proxy war with no safe staging ground.
This is how Russia reframes escalation: not as a threat, but as a “necessary perimeter.”
Strategy Over Symbolism
Medvedev’s statement matters not because it reflects a confirmed military plan — but because it lays groundwork for:
Psychological framing of future operations.
Territorial bargaining chips if talks ever resume.
A wider redefinition of “security buffer” in a post-Ukraine NATO era.
It also places the onus of escalation squarely on the West:
“If aid continues, this map becomes real.”
In essence, Russia is building narrative permission to go beyond Donbas and Crimea — while still claiming defensive posture.