A drone view shows a soldier holding up a Russian flag, as the Russian defence ministry says its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine in this screen grab from handout video released July 3, 2026. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. OVERLAY FROM SOURCE. REFILE - ADDING INFORMATION VERIFICATION - Road layout, buildings and vegetations matched satellite images. - Date not verified but no older version found posted online before July 3. - Russian Defence Ministry said on July 3 that its forces captured Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine.

Russia claims it captured the strategic key Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka

Russia claims it captured the strategic key Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivk

Russian forces have claimed capture of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region after roughly a nine-month battle. The city sits within Ukraine’s “fortress belt,” a defensive network of cities forming Donbas’s main defensive line. Ukrainian officials denied the city fell.