Statements by Russia’s military command about allegedly clearing the center of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region are not true. This part of the city remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of the 19th Army Corps, visited Kostyantynivka and recorded a video refuting the Russian generals’ claims.
“Putin’s generals reported to their boss that they are already clearing the center of Kostyantynivka. Anyone who has been to Kostyantynivka understands where I am right now. The situation is such that either I single-handedly repelled an assault by superior enemy forces, or Russia’s generals are openly lying to him. No one is clearing downtown Kostyantynivka. Yes, it’s destroyed, but it’s ours,” Bakulin said.
According to Ukraine’s command, over the past 24 hours the enemy launched 24 attacks near the settlements of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Ivanopillia, Kleban-Byk, Yablunivka, Pleshchiivka, and Poltavka, as well as toward Kostyantynivka, Stepanivka and Sofiivka. Fighting remains intense.
On November 20, Vladimir Putin visited one of the command posts of the “Zapad” grouping, where he heard reports from Russia’s military leadership. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Russian president that troops were “advancing in Siversk and Kostyantynivka.”
Kostyantynivka is a key transport and logistics hub. The city covers vital roads to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and lies on the Pokrovsk–Kostyantynivka highway. If the city were lost, Russia would gain a foothold for a further push toward the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration. On DeepState’s map as of November 24, the extreme southern outskirts of the city are marked as a gray zone. The latest changes along the line of contact appeared November 22–23: Russian forces advanced 0.5–1.5 km near Katerynivka and Shcherbynivka.
On the morning of November 25, Ukraine’s General Staff reported 24 attacks in this sector; only the area near Pokrovsk saw more, with 61 attacks.
