Ukraine conflict: Controversy surrounding the Kostyantynivka stronghold.
Regarding the Kostyantynivka stronghold, Ukraine denies that Russian forces have taken control. Meanwhile, on the Moscow side, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly thanked the forces for achieving this objective.
According to AFP on July 5, Ukraine has officially rejected Moscow's announcement that Russian forces have taken control of Kostyantynivka. This is an important stronghold of the Ukrainian army in eastern Donetsk and a key target of the Kremlin.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Kovalyov told AFP that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are still in control of the city despite the extremely difficult situation. President Volodymyr Zelensky also called Moscow's statement "a lie".
These conflicting statements emerged shortly after Russia accused Ukrainian drones of attacking its second-largest city, Saint Petersburg.
Kostyantynivka is one of the last obstacles on the road to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Capturing these areas is Russia's ultimate goal in Donbass.
Earlier on July 3rd, Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in military uniform, publicly thanked the soldiers for securing the town after months of siege. Observers believe Russia used a tactic of sending small groups of soldiers to infiltrate and seize the position. This method was successfully employed in the city of Pokrovsk in late 2025.
The Ukrainian side confirmed that some groups of Russian soldiers had entered the town, but stressed that fierce fighting was still ongoing on the front lines. In contrast, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its troops were present in all areas of Kostyantynivka, from the southern suburbs to the north.
Refuting reports from Moscow, President Zelensky shared on social media: "If Kostyantynivka were under Russian control, perhaps Putin wouldn't mind meeting me there to find a diplomatic solution to end the war."
Also on July 4th, the Russian Ministry of Defense requested that Kyiv cease shelling Kostyantynivka from 09:00 to 15:00 GMT on Monday (July 6th, local time). The purpose was to conduct a "humanitarian" operation to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
In terms of international diplomacy, both Zelensky and Putin have had separate phone calls with US President Donald Trump. These discussions took place just ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara next week. On the X platform, Zelensky expressed optimism that there is "a real prospect of ending this war, and that America's determination is decisive."
