Russia Falsely Claims Capture of 66-Sq-Km Kostyantynivka as Ukraine Says Defense Still Holds
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 16
Russia Falsely Claims Capture of 66-Sq-Km Kostyantynivka as Ukraine Says Defense Still Holds
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 16
Summary
July 3 videos of Russian troops waving flags in Kostyantynivka did not prove control of the town, with later footage, Ukrainian testimony and independent frontline maps showing Moscow still lacked significant areas.
The false capture claim fit a broader pattern of overstating battlefield gains, likely aimed at convincing Russians and foreign counterparts that the campaign in eastern Ukraine had not stalled.
Deep State mapping and on-the-ground reporting show Russia spent more than a year grinding toward the town, while Western officials cited up to 35,000 Russian dead or wounded a month during that phase of the war.
By May, Russian drone range had turned the 5-kilometer access route into a lethal 'Road of Life,' even as Ukrainian forces still operated in the center and posted drone-strike footage again a week after Moscow's claim.
Kostyantynivka's strategic value lies in opening a path toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, but its devastation underscores how slowly and expensively Russia is advancing even toward small objectives.