LUGANSK, October 6. /TASS/. Russian troops have begun pushing southward after liberating the settlement of Otradnoye in the Kharkov Region in their efforts to create a buffer zone at the junction with Russia’s borderline Belgorod Region, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS on Monday.

"After liberating Otradnoye, our troops pursued several goals at once. First of all, creating a buffer zone around the state border of the Russian Federation. Also, the information available to me suggests that an active advance is underway from Otradnoye in the southern direction," he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on October 6 that its Battlegroup North had liberated the settlement of Otradnoye in the Kharkov Region "through active and decisive operations."