Russian official and close Vladimir Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev recently raised the possibility of Russia establishing a "sanitary zone" in Poland, causing fears of a potential conflict with NATO.
Medvedev, who serves as the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, hinted at this idea in a translated Telegram post. He stated, "This is not the first time that President Putin has said that for a quiet life, our country will have to create a sanitary zone, within which the neo-Nazi regime will not be able to hit targets on the territory of Russia [including, of course, all the lands that have returned to our state]." Medvedev, a former Russian president and prime minister, emphasized the need for such a zone to protect Russia from perceived threats.
Putin initially justified his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, by claiming the need to "denazify" the country, a rationale dismissed by Ukraine, the US, and regional experts, especially given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Jewish heritage.
Recently, Ukraine targeted fuel depots, oil facilities, and a power station in southwestern Russia and Crimea, the latter being under Russian occupation since 2014. The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting over 100 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Thursday night, following a Ukrainian missile strike on a Crimean airfield. This comes amid Russian advances in northeastern Ukraine last week.
Medvedev further warned that if such attacks continue, "the guaranteed sanitary zone will be somewhere on the border with Poland. Or already in Poland itself."
On the same day, Putin reiterated Russia's goal of establishing a buffer zone in northeastern Ukraine to protect its citizens from attacks, accusing Ukraine of shelling residential neighborhoods in border areas, including Belgorod, resulting in civilian casualties. "If this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That is what we are doing," Putin said during a state visit to China. However, he clarified that there are currently no plans to seize control of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
The suggestion of a potential move into Poland, a NATO member, raises significant concerns due to NATO's Article 5, which mandates collective defense. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has already announced efforts to develop a "European Dome" to protect the continent's skies from potential Russian attacks.
An attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all 32 member states. Despite this, Putin asserted in December 2023 that Moscow has "no interest" in engaging in a conflict with NATO.
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