Russian forces are closing in on Kostiantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, attempting to secure positions near a heavily defended area that Ukrainian forces describe as part of a fortified line, Ukraine’s top military official said on Saturday.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s army, said on the Telegram app that Ukrainian troops are actively pushing back what he called "the Russian occupiers’ persistent attempts to gain a foothold in the outskirts of Kostiantynivka using infiltration tactics. Counter-sabotage measures are going on in the city."
Independent battlefield mapping by a project called DeepState indicates that Russian units control territory up to about one kilometre (0.6 mile) from the southern outskirts of Kostiantynivka. The mapping also identifies small sections in the city’s southeast as a grey zone, indicating neither side exercises full control over those areas.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had taken control of Novodmytrivka, a locality immediately north of Kostiantynivka. Moscow’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, has said that troops were advancing on the city from both north and south, according to statements cited by Ukrainian officials.
Syrskyi told followers that Russian offensive activity in the area rose noticeably in April. He added that since Monday Russian forces had launched 83 assaults in this sector, typically employing small infantry groups in their operations.
The military situation in and around Kostiantynivka forms part of a wider stand-off over control of territory in the Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk regions. Russia has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from areas it has not captured during what Moscow describes as a four-year full-scale war. U.S.-brokered peace talks have stalled on this point, with Ukrainian officials saying Kyiv will not cede territory it continues to control.
Over the past few years, Russian forces have not seized any large urban agglomerations in Ukraine, instead advancing gradually and taking control of smaller settlements mainly in the country’s east. The most notable territorial gain in the past year has been the small city of Pokrovsk, whose pre-war population of more than 60,000 largely fled. That advance required months of effort by Moscow’s forces, and Kyiv maintains it still holds some positions within the city.
Context note: The situation described reflects current battlefield claims and mapping assessments reported by Ukrainian military officials and the DeepState project. Specific front-line control and operational details are contested and subject to change.