Russian defence ministry says its forces captured Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine
July 3 (Reuters) – Russia’s military told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, a key area Moscow has long sought to seize to advance in the Donetsk region.
Putin, shown in videos visiting a command center and receiving reports from senior commanders, praised the capture of the city as a major strategic success.
He also said Russian forces had been forced to increase the scale of security zones in Ukraine in response to intense long-range attacks, especially against Russia’s oil industry.
Ukraine has not commented on Russia’s claim that it captured Kostiantynivka.
Russian General Staff Chief General Valery Gerasimov announced that the city was captured in the report he prepared on the course of the war, which has entered its fifth year.
Gerasimov said the southern group of forces was conducting offensive operations to “liberate” the entire Donetsk region, which is part of the broader Donbas region over which Russia has pledged to secure control as a key aim of its war effort.
“The group’s troops liberated the city of Kostiantynivka, one of the main defense centers of the enemy in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified area,” Gerasimov said.
The Russian military has reported for some time that its troops have controlled parts of Kostiantynivka, one of several cities seen as a network of fortifications key to Ukraine’s defense of the region.
Putin stated that the city has an important strategic importance.
“We all know that this city is an important transportation and large industrial center of Donbas,” Putin said.
RUSSIAN PICTURES SHOW SOLDIERS IN THE CITY
The Ministry of Defense published images on Telegram that it said were scenes from Kostiantynivka; these include “pictures of Russian soldiers carrying national flags next to shattered buildings.”
Gerasimov also said he told Putin that Russian forces were approaching the town of Lyman, about 70 km (45 miles) to the north, which was “of key logistical and strategic importance for further progress in this direction.”
Yevgeny Nikiforov, commander of Russia’s northern troops, said his forces “have not yet managed to fully solve the task” of preventing Ukrainian drone strikes that have hit oil facilities and caused fuel shortages in Russia.
Putin responded with the following words: “The more the enemy tries to launch attacks on our civilian facilities, the larger we will have to establish a security zone on neighboring territory.”
Nikiforov told Putin that Russian troops were making progress in securing the border areas in Kharkiv and Sumy regions, where Moscow has called for the expansion of buffer zones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials have said Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine has slowed significantly since the beginning of this year, and Kiev forces have even recaptured some areas.
In his statement, Putin described Kiev’s statements as “an information campaign showcasing so-called successes.” Zelenskiy sent an open letter to Putin last month requesting a direct meeting, but the Kremlin leader rejected the proposal.
Attempts at a U.S.-brokered peace deal have been put on hold during the conflict in Iran, but both Moscow and Kiev say they expect a visit soon from two top negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Edmund Klamann, Bill Berkrot and Tom Hogue)
