Russia has announced that its forces have taken control of Kostiantynivka, a strategically significant city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to President Vladimir Putin and General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff. Ukraine had not commented on the claim at the time of reporting.
Russian officials said the city is an important transport and industrial hub, while Moscow also reported continued advances towards Lyman and along border areas in Kharkiv and Sumy.
Key developments:
- Russia claims its forces have captured Kostiantynivka after months of fighting.
- President Vladimir Putin described the city as strategically important for operations in Donbas.
- Ukraine had not confirmed or commented on Russia’s claim.
Russia also reported progress towards Lyman and discussed expanding security buffer zones following Ukrainian drone strikes.
In recent days, Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks on Kyiv this year, with Ukrainian officials reporting dozens of deaths and widespread damage to homes and civilian infrastructure.
Moscow said the strikes targeted military and energy facilities in response to Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, while Kyiv has continued its campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russian military and energy infrastructure.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled, although both sides have indicated they expect renewed engagement with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the coming weeks following a pause linked to the conflict in Iran.
ℹ️ Reuters
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