Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signals Putin's plan to seize Kharkiv and create a 'sanitary zone'

• Sergey Lavrov suggested that Russia likely intended to launch an operation to seize Kharkiv.
• He is the first senior Kremlin official to identify the city as a potential target.
• He said the city is important in Russia's "sanitary zone" plans to protect its borders.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has strongly suggested that Russia intends to seize the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, making him the first senior Kremlin official to identify the city as a potential target outright.