Russian Troops Infiltrate Kostyantynivka, Threatening Ukraine's Donbas Hold

UKRAINE — Ekhbary News Agency

Tactical Advances and Ukrainian Resistance

A Ukrainian drone pilot, who chose to remain anonymous, stated, "They get into areas behind our backs and in urban conditions it's extremely difficult to push them out." Kostyantynivka serves as a crucial gateway to the rest of the Donbas. Should it fall, Russian forces could advance towards Ukraine's remaining eastern strongholds, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, potentially securing the entire Donbas. Brig Gen Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of Ukraine's 19th Corp, denied Moscow's claims of encircling Ukrainian units, insisting the "situation remains under control" and "the enemy has no success." However, he acknowledged approximately 130 Russian soldiers are present within the city. This suggests a complex, fluid battlefield where control is fiercely contested.

Urban Warfare and Drone Dominance

An anonymous Ukrainian officer operating inside Kostyantynivka told the BBC that the situation appears more serious than publicly admitted. "We still have clean-up and assault groups inside the city, but the Russians manage to accumulate more and more soldiers there," he revealed. Russian forces exploit every building and summer foliage for cover, allowing them to advance within the "kill zone" where Ukrainian drones typically detect movement. Russian drone pilots, in turn, prioritize destroying Ukrainian drone launch sites to give their infantry a crucial breathing space. This intense drone warfare, coupled with slow, methodical ground advances—sometimes just 100 meters a day—reflects a strategy similar to that used in Pokrovsk, aiming to encircle the city and sever supply lines. For what it's worth, the fight is clearly a grueling one.