"Konstantinovka has fallen. The city is now completely under our control", Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on the evening of 3/7.

A video released later by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed Russian soldiers raising flags in various parts of the city.

President Vladimir Putin, who visited a logistics base under the Joint Forces Command overseeing operations in Ukraine, met with Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the same day. He thanked Russian soldiers, emphasizing that controlling Konstantinovka holds "great strategic significance". Putin described it as "the first, very important step in the effort to defeat Ukrainian army units occupying the urban axis of Slavyansk - Kramatorsk - Konstantinovka". He added that the enemy had established an extensive network of strongholds, transforming Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, and Konstantinovka into formidable fortress belts.

General Anton Grunis, commander of Russia's 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Southern Group of Forces, reported that Russian units advanced from multiple directions. This maneuver divided Ukrainian defensive forces into isolated pockets of resistance, allowing for the neutralization of each target. "We are conducting operations to clear out enemy soldiers still hiding in buildings, cellars, and rubble in Konstantinovka", he stated.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on this information.

Destroyed landscape in Kostyantynivka, Donbass, in december 2025. Photo: AFP

The BBC on 22/6 quoted Ukrainian servicemen who described Konstantinovka as a "gray zone", a term for an area of active fighting without full control by either side. Some Ukrainian commanders there admitted that Russian forces had penetrated so deeply they "could not be repelled", putting defensive units at risk of losing the city.

"They have penetrated areas behind us. Repelling the enemy is an extremely difficult effort in an urban environment", a Ukrainian drone pilot in the city stated, adding that the situation had become a "serious crisis".

Konstantinovka spans over 66 km2 and was a significant center for iron and steel, zinc, and glass production during the Soviet era. Before the conflict, it had a population of about 70,000. The city initially served as a logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut and Chasov Yar, cities Russia fully controlled in may 2025 and august 2025. Konstantinovka is also the gateway to the chain of cities forming Ukraine's "fortress belt" in Donetsk province.

Chain of cities forming Ukraine's "fortress belt" in Donetsk province. Graphic: RYV

This fortress belt, approximately 50 km long, includes Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka, Slovyansk, and Kramatorsk. It represents Ukraine's strongest defensive line in Donetsk province, featuring an extensive system of trenches, anti-tank obstacles, and dense barbed wire, fortified over more than 10 years. This robust defense poses a major challenge to Russian attacks.

Should Konstantinovka fall, nearly all remaining urban areas in the belt would be within range of drone and artillery strikes. This would bring Russia closer to its objective of controlling the entire Donetsk province.

Vu Hoang (According to RIA Novosti, Reuters, AFP)