The ongoing Russian operations in northern Kharkiv region are part of a plan to create a buffer zone to protect Russia’s border areas from Ukrainian military strikes, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The report reminded that Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to a journalist’s question about the objectives of Russian forces in the Kharkiv direction. He noted that the Russian army was succeeding according to plan and that Russian troops did not have immediate plans to capture Kharkiv. According to Putin, Russian offensive operations in the Kharkiv direc…