MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russia continues to create a sanitary zone to protect its territory, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Speaking to reporters, the spokesman recalled Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements at a press conference on the results of his state visit to China. "He has just informed about the ongoing operation to create a sanitary security zone to protect our cities and settlements that are currently under fire," Peskov said in response to a question about the authorities' actions to protect the Belgorod Region.

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod. "They are directly shelling the city center, residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone. That's what we're doing," the Russian leader pointed out.