Ukrainian soldiers hold the ruined cities of Donbas, without infrastructure, under constant fire, refusing to yield even a few hundred meters. Yet the fiery ring tightens, Armiia TV reports.
On the Kramatorsk axis, Russian troops relentlessly assault the positions of Ukraine’s 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Chasiv Yar, which continues to prove that the aggressor cannot destroy peaceful settlements with impunity, while also methodically devastating Kostiantynivka.
The Russian offensive on Kostiantynivka depends on another battle for Ukraine's Pokrovsk, which has proven catastrophic for Kyiv's troops in recent weeks.
“Without Pokrovsk, they can’t reach Kramatorsk. First Pokrovsk, then Kostiantynivka, only then Sloviansk and Kramatorsk,” says Ukrainian military expert Ivan Stupak.
"The armor never reached"
Oleh Petrasiuk, press officer of the 24th King Danylo Brigade, says that Russian assaults on the Kramatorsk axis are constant, with the occupiers regularly deploying armored vehicles.
“But all that equipment was destroyed — it never made it. They didn’t even manage to deploy their troops, didn’t even reach the center of Chasiv Yar,” he said.
According to him, fierce clashes continue between the city center and the canal, where Ukrainian defenders maintain the line under relentless fire.
Kostyantynivka under fire
While Chasiv Yar holds the front, Kostiantynivka suffers from constant air and artillery strikes. The Russians are systematically razing the city, leaving no chance for civilians.
“Many civilians still remain in the city. A lot of them refuse to evacuate... It’s quite dangerous there. There’s no infrastructure left — and, frankly, life there looks more like death,” said Petrasiuk.
Kostiantynivka anchors the southern approach to the Donbas fortress belt, which includes Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Pokrovsk. These cities together form Ukraine’s eastern bastion. If it falls, the defensive ring could be flanked, leaving the heart of the Donbas vulnerable.
As of 2025, Russia has been trying to seize the Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for 12 years.
Read also
-
Russian ground assaults increase by 30% near Toretsk, double near Chasiv Yar since December
-
Kostyantynivka’s new morning routine: turn on the gas. Nothing. Russians are 3 miles away
-
Putin sends FSB’s Presidential Regiment troops to Donetsk Oblast as Russian losses mount
-
Next steps on Donetsk’s map after Pokrovsk — first Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk in Moscow’s occupation plan
