Russian forces have begun pushing towards Konstantinovka, a Ukrainian-held city and longstanding stronghold in a heavily fortified agglomeration in Russia’s Donbas region. The city forms part of Ukraine’s crucial “fortress belt” in Donetsk and is considered vital to Kyiv’s defense strategy.
Russian troops are nearing the end of the search-and-destroy operation to eliminate the remnants of the Ukrainian garrison in the city of Konstantinovka, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has announced.
On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said troops were close to completing “the clearing of the city of scattered units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Recent media reports have suggested the Ukrainian command has effectively written off the remaining troops, abandoning attempts to bring in reinforcements while denying the garrison’s repeated requests to withdraw
Drone footage from the city shared by the Defense Ministry features multiple Ukrainian ground unmanned vehicles, apparently used to bring supplies to the blocked troops, hunted down and destroyed by Russian FPV drones. Clippings also show a group of Ukrainian soldiers taking cover in a residential house and ending up being subjected to artillery shelling.
Earlier on Monday, the Russian president mentioned that Russian forces are approximately 10.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian regional city of Sumy. He added that 96 percent of Konstantinovka is under Russian control with the 4th Brigade completing operations and that around 5,000 Ukrainian troops face near-complete encirclement at Rubtsy with approximately two kilometres remaining until the cordon closes, in a detailed theatre-by-theatre battlefield briefing.
Putin said Russian forces have breached a three-row line of engineering obstacles near Dobropolye described as previously impregnable and entered the neighbouring village of Annovka, noting there are no pre-prepared Ukrainian defensive lines between Dobropolye and the state border some 35 kilometres away.
He added that Russian forces are 8-9 kilometres from Slavyansk and four kilometres from Kramatorsk following the advance through Konstantinovka, and said Ukraine had begun evacuating industrial enterprises from the Kramatorsk conurbation, while stressing Russia has “no political plans” regarding the city of Sumy.
Over a few weeks, Russian forces have advanced to the city from multiple directions, effectively cutting it in half and disorganizing the Ukrainian defenses in the area.