Putin Claims Strategic Victory in Konstantinovka, Details Ukrainian Losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that his forces have achieved a strategic victory after capturing the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. He described the city as one of the most important transport and industrial centres in the Donbas. Putin made the remarks during a visit to a temporary command post of the joint group of forces on Friday. He said the capture of Konstantinovka holds significant strategic importance for Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. ‘As we know, this city is a major transport hub and a major industrial centre of Donbas,’ Putin said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier announced that Russian forces had taken full control of Konstantinovka. ‘The main news is that Konstantinovka has been completely taken,’ Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency. Putin also claimed that Russian forces have taken control of 133 settlements and more than 3,000 square kilometres of territory in Donbas and Novorossiya since the beginning of 2026. On the same occasion, Putin said the establishment of a security buffer zone along Russia’s border with Ukraine is proceeding according to plan. He stated that the zone covers the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. He said the expansion of the buffer zone is a response to increased Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, particularly those targeting civilian facilities. ‘The more the enemy tries to strike our civilian facilities, the larger the security buffer zone we will have to create on the bordering territory,’ Putin said.