Kostyantynivka, Ukraine – Russian forces have quietly infiltrated the strategic eastern city of Kostyantynivka and are now attempting to encircle it, Ukrainian soldiers on the ground told the BBC – raising fears that Moscow is closing in on its ultimate prize: the complete capture of Ukraine’s Donbas region.
“They get into areas behind our backs, and in urban conditions it’s extremely difficult to push them out,” said a Ukrainian drone pilot operating in the city, speaking on condition of anonymity. The entire city, he admitted, has become a “grey zone” – no longer fully controlled by either side.
Kostyantynivka is the gateway to Ukraine’s last remaining strongholds in the east – Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. If it falls, Russian troops could sweep north and seal Moscow’s near‑three‑year campaign to seize all of Donbas.
Ukrainian commanders insist the situation is “under control” and that only about 130 Russian soldiers are inside the city. But frontline monitors from DeepState warn that the city’s fall is “a matter of time” – and that even holding Kramatorsk will become “extremely dangerous”.
Deliveries of supplies have become nearly impossible, with land routes under constant fire and logistics drones being regularly intercepted. Ukrainian soldiers complain of severe manpower shortages and are being ordered to retake lost positions without the reinforcements needed.
Meanwhile, Moscow is pressing its advantage – using cheap Chinese drones to hunt Ukrainian launch sites, forcing Ukrainian crews to “roll back” and cede ground.
The crisis comes as Ukraine claims to have recaptured more territory this year than it lost – and has severely disrupted Russian supply lines to Crimea, even forcing fuel rationing in occupied Crimea. But on the eastern front, the tide may be turning against Kyiv.
One Ukrainian soldier put it bluntly: “We don’t have enough people to hold on to what we still control, let alone organise assaults.”