| Battle of Kostiantynivka | |||||||
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| Part of the eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) | |||||||
 Military situation in and around Kostiantynivka, as of 5 January 2026. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russia |  Ukraine | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
The Battle of Kostiantynivka is a military engagement in the Russo-Ukrainian war between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for control over the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka.
After the Russian capture of Toretsk in August 2025, its troops continued launching assaults to the northwest in the direction of Kostiantynivka. [8] By 23 August, Russian forces captured the village of Kleban-Byk, located in between the cities of Toretsk and Kostiantynivka. [9]
The first Russian infiltration attempts into Kostiantynivka occurred at the end of October 2025. [10] Russian assault groups began entering the city from the southeast. [11] The Ukrainian 28th Mechanized Brigade managed to thwart one of these attempts. [12] An estimated 4,800 residents remained in the city by early November. [13] [14] On 21 November, Russian forces seized the village of Ivanopillia located to the south of Kostiantynivka. [15] [16] Furthermore, its troops were able to advance in the southeastern parts of the city. [17] [18]
In early December, the Russian army made further advances into southeastern Kostiantynivka along Mahistralna Street. [19] Meanwhile, the remaining residents struggled to survive in their damaged homes. [20] The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs released footage which showed the destruction of the city. [21] At the same time, Russian units reached Kustanaiska Street in southeastern Kostiantynivka. [22] Russian chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, claimed on 18 December that Russia controls 50 percent of Kostiantynivka. [23] While the Institute for the Study of War estimated that Russia controls about 5 percent of the city. [24] [25] At the end of December, Russian forces captured a trench system in eastern Kostiantynivka, thus reaching the T-0504 Bakhmut – Pokrovsk highway. [26] Moreover, its troops started advancing along Ostrovskoho Street towards the railway station. [27] Further south, Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks from Ivanopillia in the direction of southern Kostiantynivka. [5]
At the beginning of 2026, Russian forces began launching assaults from Yablunivka to southwestern Kostiantynivka, through the H-20 Donetsk – Kramatorsk highway. [2] Soldiers of the Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade installed anti-drone nets above several roads around the city to protect their resupply. [28] Analysts noted that the seizure of Kostiantynivka is part of Russia’s 2026 war priority. [29] Russian units infiltrated toward the village of Illinivka located to the west of Kostiantynivka by 17 January. [30]
Kostiantynivka is a part of Ukraine’s so called “fortress belt”. [31] [32] This is a network of the four cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka itself, functioning as the main defensive line of the Ukrainian army in the Donbas region. [33] Analysts describe Kostiantynivka as a ‘backbone for Ukraine’s defense’ and a ‘gateway’ for Russia to seize the remainder of the Donetsk region. [34] [35] [36]
