{
  "id": 82038,
  "title": "Ukraine fights to hold Kostyantynivka amid Russian push",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/ukraine-fights-to-hold-kostyantynivka-amid-russian-push",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-03T10:56:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Voice of Ukraine",
    "slug": "new-voice-of-ukraine",
    "url": "https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/kostyantynivka-may-fall-in-coming-months-50629436.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukrainian defense forces may potentially relinquish control over Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast over the next few months, according to reports from RBC-Ukraine on August 3. The city is a key battleground within the Donetsk Oblast region, where Russian forces aim to capture the Kramatorsk–Kostyantynivka area. The aggressors seek to approach Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, vital strongholds in the ongoing conflict. Military sources claim that Russian troops have been identified throughout most of Kostyantynivka, while Russian forces are attempting to encroach on Dobropillya, attempting to encircle Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka, and Kramatorsk from the west. The Lyman area remains another weak point in the Ukrainian defense line.\n\nWhile there is no urgency for a swift operational breakthrough in the Donetsk Oblast, the Ukrainian forces warn that Kostyantynivka could be lost in the forthcoming months. According to one source, if circumstances favor Russia, their troops could reach Slovyansk and Kramatorsk by the end of winter. However, this would require breaching fortified defensive lines, opening up flanks, and enduring continuous attacks from Ukrainian drones. On July 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other high-ranking officers, claiming the \"liberation\" of Luhansk Oblast and significant gains in Donetsk Oblast, including Kostyantynivka. Nonetheless, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) refuted these assertions, stating that Russian presence in Kostyantynivka was limited to small sabotage groups mixed in with Ukrainian forces. The AFU General Staff and Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group also debunked Putin's claims, confirming that Ukrainian forces remain in control of Kostyantynivka and actively targeting enemy forces attempting to enter the city.\n\nUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed claims of Kostyantynivka falling into Russian hands, urging Putin to meet him in the city to discuss a diplomatic end to the war. However, Putin was unable to cross the frontline, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov offered an invented reason for the meeting's impossibility. On July 17, it became impossible to evacuate Kostyantynivka by vehicle due to targeted attacks on transport, leaving citizens with no option but to walk out.",
  "summary": "Ukrainian defense forces could lose control of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast in the coming months, RBC-Ukraine reported on Aug. 3, citing statements from sources in military and political circles.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ukrainian forces may lose Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.",
    "Russian troops advancing on Kostyantynivka and surrounding areas.",
    "Ukrainian President dismisses Russian claims of Kostyantynivka fall."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Russian planes fire a salvo of glide bombs at a southern Ukraine city, killing 1 and wounding dozens",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/russian-planes-fire-a-salvo-of-glide-bombs-at-a-southern-ukraine-city",
        "published": "2026-08-03T09:53:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Russian strike destroys historic 1726 Cossack wooden church in Ukraine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/russian-strike-destroys-historic-1726-cossack-wooden-church-in-ukraine",
        "published": "2026-08-03T11:29:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}