'Strategic victory': Putin claims capture of Kostyantynivka; Russian army launches 'search and elimination operations' against Ukrainian soldiers
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Strategic victory': Putin claims capture of Kostyantynivka; Russian army launches 'search and elimination operations' against Ukrainian soldiers")
In this grab taken from a handout footage posted of the official website of the Russian presidential press office on July 3, 2026, Russia's President Vladimir Putin visits a command post for the joint force grouping, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Photograph: (AFP)
Has Russia just secured its biggest battlefield victory in months? Moscow claims it has captured Kostyantynivka, one of Ukraine's last major strongholds in eastern Donbas. If the claim holds, it could open the road to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, cities long seen as key Kremlin objectives.
Russia on Friday (Jul 3) claimed it had captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, marking one of its most significant battlefield gains in months and bringing its forces closer to some of Kyiv's last major strongholds in the Donbas region. The city, which had a pre-war population of around 78,000, has been at the centre of intense fighting since late 2025. Its fall, if confirmed, would give Moscow a stronger position in its long-running effort to seize full control of eastern Ukraine.
"Kostyantynivka has been completely taken. The city is now entirely under our control," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The announcement was quickly followed by a televised appearance from President Vladimir Putin, who praised Russian troops and described the capture as a victory of "major strategic importance."
Why Kostyantynivka matters
Kostyantynivka is one of the last Ukrainian strongholds. It sits on a critical route leading to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, two of the most important Ukrainian-held cities in the Donbas. Military analysts have long viewed those cities as the Kremlin's ultimate objective in the region.
For months, Russian forces have been trying to break through Ukrainian defensive lines around Kostyantynivka. The city effectively served as a gateway to the remaining Ukrainian strongholds in eastern Ukraine.
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Its capture potentially opens new opportunities for Russian advances deeper into the Donetsk region.
Putin says Russia retains the ‘initiative’
Appearing in military uniform alongside senior commanders, Putin argued that Russian forces continue to hold the momentum on the battlefield. "The Russian armed forces continue to firmly maintain the strategic initiative," he said.
According to Russian officials, Putin visited a military command post before making the announcement and received updates from the General Staff.
Russian troops hunting Ukrainian soldiers?
Russian commander Anton Grunis said troops were continuing "search and elimination operations" against Ukrainian soldiers believed to be hiding in damaged buildings, basements and ruins across the city.
Russian advances on multiple fronts
The announcement on Kostyantynivka was accompanied by claims of progress elsewhere. Peskov said Russian forces now control the entirety of the Lugansk region, one of the two territories that make up the Donbas.
Meanwhile, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian troops were now only nine kilometres from Zaporizhzhia, one of southern Ukraine's largest cities before the war, with a pre-conflict population of more than 700,000.
Another commander reported that Russian forces were approximately 10 kilometres from Sumy, a major city in northern Ukraine near the Russian border. The claims could not be independently verified.
