Russian Troop Build-Up Encircles Kostyantynivka, Key Donbas Gateway
Russian forces have taken up positions around the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a strategic point on the road to the wider Donbas region. According to commanders on the ground, the city is surrounded from the south and north, though Ukrainian officials insist it remains under control.
“They get into areas behind our backs and it’s extremely difficult to push them out,” said an anonymous Ukrainian drone pilot who operates in the area. The pilot explained that every building can act as a shelter for Russian troops, and the surrounding trees provide cover during the summer.
The encirclement threatens to tighten the Kremlin’s grip on the Donbas. If Kostyantynivka falls, Russian forces would likely press toward Ukraine’s remaining eastern strongholds in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, pushing the war closer to a complete takeover of the region.
Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of the 19th Corps, has denied that the city is losing ground, saying the situation remains “under control” and the enemy has made no gains. Yet he acknowledged approximately 130 Russian troops still occupy the city.
Russian drone units have intensified surveillance, using cheap Chinese drones that do not need to fly far to spot Ukrainian launch sites. Ukrainian drone crews, with limited resources, are stretched thin, often forced to retreat after bringing Russian troops into the city’s “kill zone.”
The Russian Defence Ministry posted footage of troops in Kostyantynivka, showing damaged buildings and surrounded positions. Their video indicates the city has been seized on both sides, fitting the Kremlin’s pattern of surrounding and taking urban centres.
On the logistical front, Ukraine’s strikes on oil refineries in Moscow and St Petersburg, and the blockade of fuel sales in Crimea, are meant to disrupt Russian supply lines. Russian forces now face tougher supply routes, with land supplies frequently targeted and logistical drones intercepted.
One Ukrainian frontline monitoring project, DeepState, said the fall of Kostyantynivka “is a matter of time.” If the city is lost, “logistical operations in the area will be more complicated and even remaining in Kramatorsk will become extremely dangerous.”
Another Ukrainian soldier said their unit lacks reinforcements and that commanders hesitate to report losses, putting the remaining defenders at risk. The drone pilot emphasized the need to change tactics: “We must destroy their logistics and target their pilots, otherwise the advance will continue.”
The escalation reflects a broader Russian strategy: capture cities by advancing along the flanks, encircling them, and cutting off supplies, as seen in the capture of Pokrovsk. Recent Russian statements claim villages west of Kostyantynivka have been seized, diverting attention from Ukraine’s attacks on Russian infrastructure and ongoing fuel shortages.
As the battle for Kostyantynivka rages, Russian troops are increasingly close enough to employ low‑cost drones to conduct surveillance and strike Ukrainian positions, intensifying the threat to both civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian forces in the east.
