Russian Troops Approach Kostiantynivka, Ukraine’s Stronghold in East

Russian troops advance towards Kostiantynivka

Russian forces are advancing towards Kostiantynivka, located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. According to top Ukrainian army official Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Russian military is attempting to establish a foothold near the heavily fortified city.

Kostiantynivka forms part of a so-called fortress belt in eastern Ukraine, which has been well-fortified by the Ukrainian military.

The DeepState project, a Ukrainian battlefield mapping initiative, shows that Russian troops control an area around just one kilometre from Kostiantynivka’s southern outskirts. The city is marked as a grey zone, indicating neither full control by Russia nor Ukraine.

Russia’s Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that its forces had taken control of Novodmytrivka, located north of Kostiantynivka. Moscow’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, stated in April that troops were advancing both north and south of the city.

Syrskyi reported a noticeable increase in Russian offensive attempts in April. Since Monday, Russian troops have carried out 83 assaults in this sector using small infantry groups.

Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Russia has failed to capture during its four-year war. U.S.-brokered peace talks stalled over the issue as Ukrainian officials say Kyiv will not cede land it still controls.

Russian troops have not managed to capture any major cities in Ukraine for years, instead advancing and announcing the capture of towns and villages. The most significant Russian gain was the city of Pokrovsk, where more than 60,000 people mostly fled pre-war. It took Moscow’s forces months to advance, with Kyiv claiming it still holds some positions.

On Saturday, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported seizing the village of Myropillia in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, where Moscow claims a buffer zone is needed. However, the Kursk group of Ukrainian military dismissed this report as a “complete lie,” stating that its units control the area.