Media reports about Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s statement about the alleged occupation of the village of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region by Russian troops are untrue, Major Andriy Kovaliov, press secretary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine.
"According to the operational situation at the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Automated system of the Operational Control Center Dzvin and the combat contact line of the DELTA system, the village of Kostiantynivka is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Military units and subunits of the 19th Guards Defense Forces Skhid (East) continue to conduct a defensive operation at designated lines within the village and on the approaches to it," the General Staff representative emphasized.
At the same time, Kovaliov noted that the enemy is continuing its attempts to capture Kostiantynivka. There have been instances of small infantry groups (one to three men) infiltrating deep into our troops’ combat formations. Defense Forces continue counter-sabotage operations in the city. According to the spokesman, the occupiers are being identified and eliminated.
The General Staff also reported that on July 3, 2026, the enemy conducted 11 assault operations in the designated area, without achieving any success.
"Instead, the enemy, not for the first time, resorts to the dissemination of outright disinformation and fake news by senior officials. Ukrainian defenders continue to hold their positions at the designated lines. The situation remains difficult, but is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," Kovaliov stated.
The Skhid Group of Forces also added, "The Kremlin regime and the command of the Russian occupation army are once again resorting to fake news and declaring their non-existent ‘successes’ – this time, the occupiers have claimed to have ‘captured’ Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region. This is yet another example of lies and a vile attempt by the Russian leadership to blatantly ‘paint’ some successes and justify the failure of their operational and strategic plans and the disproportionately large losses of Russian army personnel."
The town of Kostiantynivka is controlled by units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and ongoing fighting continues in some areas of the city. Russian attempts to enter the city are being thwarted, the occupiers are being eliminated, and fire is being launched against the invaders’ logistics routes and manpower concentrations, Skhid reports on Facebook.
