Kostyantynivka has been targeted by the Russian military for many months. It is a very difficult target to attack. The city is home to over 20 industrial enterprises. It is also a major railway hub, which has long been a key logistics hub for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is why Moscow has targeted the city.
The city’s geography is also quite complex. It is characterized by sharp drops in elevation and is divided into two parts by the rather wide and deep Kryvyi Torets River. There are only two bridges within Kostyantynivka, both of which are part of more complex road junctions.
What does capturing Kostiantynivka mean from an operational perspective? This city is the cornerstone of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense throughout the metropolitan area. And if Russian forces were to take control, they would gain a reliable base for further advances on Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
Tensions between the two sides have increased in recent weeks. A new tactical move by the Russian command to capture the city is noteworthy.
Over the past week, in the town of Kostiantynivka, the Ukrainian army managed to recapture a series of positions north of the railway station district, reentering the station. Meanwhile, the Russian army continues to protect the Perspektiva greenhouses and push back Ukrainian forces from the Berestok district; the fighting has shifted further south.
Last week, the Ukrainian army also conducted new operations in the Chasov Yar district, once again challenging Russian control of this town, long considered a fait accompli. Ukrainian control of the waste treatment plant on the western outskirts of Chasiv Yar has also been confirmed. Meanwhile, the Russian infiltration vector in the southeastern area, coming from the south, has been corrected. The Russian army continued to infiltrate southwestern Kostyantynivka, in the Berestok district, through the “Perspektiva” greenhouses.
In recent days, Russian forces have intensified their offensive near Berestok and Illinivka and are advancing towards Stepanivka, attempting to strengthen their positions in the southern part of Kostyantynivka. On the eastern flank, counterattacks are underway near Minkivka.
In the last few hours, posts from the front have reported that: “South of the city, there are counterattacks near Berestok. The Ukrainians are still capable of local counterattacks, but the pressure is increasing.
A methodical assault is now underway on Kostyantynivka, and Ukrainian forces are being forced to abandon key neighborhoods. Russian units have made a significant advance in the southwest of the city: fighting is already underway along Dorozhnaya and Geroev Truda streets, while the Ukrainians have abandoned the skyscrapers on Evropeyskaya Street.
The assault is gradually approaching Kosmonavtov Boulevard, one of the main Ukrainian fortified areas within the city limits. Securing control of this area will allow artillery to confidently strike the Ukrtsink power plant and enemy positions along the banks of the Kryvyi Torets River.
The offensive is methodical and is exhausting Ukrainian forces: small assault groups are at work, gradually advancing through the urban area, dislodging the enemy from its positions. Strongholds. Ukrainian forces are already being forced to abandon high-rise buildings and retreat deeper into the city: the further they push, the harder it will be for them to hold Kostiantynivka without risking encirclement.
Graziella Giangiulio
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