NBC
State media outlet Tass claimed last week that Russian forces had “gained full control” of Kostyantynivka’s eastern part and approached its northeastern outskirts.
Kyiv has rejected claims that Kostyantynivka is being encircled, and the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said parts of the city have become a contested “gray zone,” with neither side exercising full control.
Capturing Kostyantynivka would move the Kremlin closer to one of its remaining major war aims: seizing the entirety of the Donbas region. It would also be a timely propaganda boost given the pain that Ukraine has been able to inflict in recent months.
