Ukrainian military continues operations against Russian forces in Kostiantynivka

According to Madyar, Russian troops remain inside the city after infiltrating urban areas, but Ukrainian forces know their positions and are systematically eliminating them.

“They are running around demoralized, although some are still trying to fight back. There are now very few enemy troops left in southern Kostiantynivka — we have cleared that area. We are now conducting operations to eliminate enemy personnel in the central and western parts of the city. There are not many of them, and we know where they are,” he said.

Madyar said Russian forces continue to pressure the city with small infantry groups and occasional isolated assaults. However, he said the pace of attacks has declined, suggesting the Russians may be regrouping and adjusting their tactics.

“The enemy has reduced its offensive activity, and we are coping with it for now. I think they are regrouping and planning something different because what they intended to do has not worked,” the officer said.

He added that Russian forces had planned to bypass Kostiantynivka from multiple directions and seize nearby high ground to disrupt logistics routes leading to Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, but those efforts have so far failed.

According to Madyar, Russian troops are suffering heavy losses during their attempts to advance.

“They previously tried moving through tree lines, but we blocked all of those routes with our troops. Now they are trying to cross open fields, but that is not working either. We see them and successfully destroy them. Their losses are very high. Recently, our statistics showed that 53 enemy troops were killed in a single day, while we suffered three losses,” he said.

The BBC, citing military sources, reported that virtually the entire city has become a gray zone not fully controlled by either side.

According to the sources, the real situation in the city is not as critical as portrayed by Russia, but it is more difficult than suggested by official Ukrainian statements. At the same time, all BBC sources said Russian troops continue to infiltrate the city and establish positions in new areas.

“The fact that infantry has moved through half of Kostiantynivka does not mean it controls the city. We destroy them. That is exactly what a gray zone is. You could say that today all of Kostiantynivka is in such a zone,” one source told the broadcaster.

On June 13, Hromadske reported that about 100 Russian troops had infiltrated Kostiantynivka, including the city center. One Ukrainian commander told the outlet that “losing Kostiantynivka by the end of the summer is entirely possible.”

Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of Ukraine’s 19th Army Corps, later confirmed that about 130 Russian troops had entered the city. He said enemy positions remain under constant surveillance and are struck daily.

On June 10, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces had failed to capture Kostiantynivka by May as planned, although they had achieved some tactical gains in the area.