Russia on Friday claimed that its forces had captured Kostiantynivka, a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, marking what President Vladimir Putin described as a significant military achievement in Moscow’s campaign to secure control of the Donbas.

The announcement was made during a meeting between Putin and senior military commanders at a command post, where Russia’s military leadership briefed the president on the progress of operations. Ukraine did not immediately comment on Moscow’s claim of having taken control of the city.

Russia Claims Strategic Breakthrough In Donetsk

General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian General Staff, informed Putin that Russian troops had secured Kostiantynivka, a city long regarded as one of Ukraine’s key defensive strongholds in the Donetsk region.

According to Gerasimov, forces from Russia’s southern military grouping are continuing offensive operations aimed at gaining control of the entire Donetsk region, which forms part of the broader Donbas area that Moscow has identified as a central objective of its military campaign.

“The troops of the group have liberated the city of Kostiantynivka, one of the main defensive hubs of the enemy within the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified area,” Gerasimov said.

Russian military reports in recent months had indicated that its forces controlled parts of Kostiantynivka, which is considered one of several interconnected fortified cities forming Ukraine’s defensive network in eastern Ukraine.

Putin described the city as a strategically significant location. “We all know that this city is a key transport and large industrial centre of Donbas,” he said.

Images Released As Russia Reports Further Advances

Russia’s Defence Ministry later released photographs and videos on Telegram that it said showed Russian soldiers inside Kostiantynivka, including images of troops holding Russian flags near heavily damaged buildings.

Gerasimov also reported progress elsewhere along the front line, telling Putin that Russian forces were moving closer to Lyman, a town around 70 kilometres north of Kostiantynivka.

He described Lyman as being of “key logistical and strategic importance for further advances in this direction”, suggesting that Russian forces may seek to expand operations deeper into eastern Ukraine.

Putin Calls For Expanded Security Zones

During the meeting, military commanders also discussed Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory, including strikes targeting oil infrastructure that have disrupted fuel supplies in some areas.

Yevgeny Nikiforov, commander of Russia’s northern troop grouping, told Putin that efforts to fully prevent Ukrainian drone attacks had not yet succeeded.

Responding to the assessment, Putin said Russia may need to increase the size of buffer zones along its border.

“The more attacks the enemy tries to carry out on our civilian facilities … the larger a security zone we’ll have to establish in the neighbouring territory,” he said.

Nikiforov added that Russian forces were making progress in securing areas along the border in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions, where Moscow has previously advocated the creation of expanded buffer zones.

Conflicting Assessments Of Battlefield Situation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have maintained that Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine have slowed significantly since the start of the year and that Ukrainian forces have regained some territory.

Putin rejected those claims during the meeting, describing them as an “information campaign in which it puts on display supposed successes”.

The latest developments come amid stalled diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Last month, Zelenskyy publicly proposed a direct meeting with Putin, but the Kremlin declined the offer.

US-backed efforts to advance peace negotiations were also put on hold during the recent conflict involving Iran. However, both Moscow and Kyiv have indicated that they expect visits in the near future from senior negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as discussions on a possible settlement continue.

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