MOSCOW, July 4. Sergei Rudskoi, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, held a briefing in which he outlined the main phases of the liberation of the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), which, according to him, is the key to the last Kyiv stronghold in the Donbas - the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration.
- Kyiv has been building a system of defensive positions in Konstantinovka since 2014, and significantly strengthened it after the fall of Bakhmut (known in Russia as Artemovsk).
- Ukrainian forces in Konstantinovka created more than 80 obstacle zones and over 50 fortified defensive positions, including facilities such as kindergartens and schools.
- The first defensive line in Konstantinovka consisted of a system of 30 km of explosive barriers. The second defensive line extended up to 35 km.
- The defense system included trenches and ditches covered with minefields.
- Konstantinovka was the most fortified Ukrainian defensive area.
- The city was held by nationalist formations from the Ljut brigade, which was considered the most combat-ready Ukrainian unit.
- Ukraine created a grouping of seven brigades, totaling up to 15,500 men, to hold Konstantinovka.
- Russian forces liberated more than 66 km² during the liberation of Konstantinovka.
- The old city of Konstantinovka, with its low-rise buildings and high-rise district, was the most difficult to capture.
- Russian forces took control of the Strojsteklo plant in Konstantinovka at the end of April.
- Administrative buildings in the Central and Krasny Gorodok districts were captured at the end of May.
- The Megatex industrial zone came under Russian control in early June.
- The southwestern area of Konstantinovka, known as the Ukrainian Chutor, was liberated in mid-June.
- The districts of Yuzhny and Drugy were liberated in the second half of May, while the livestock complex on the outskirts of the city was captured in early June.
- Ukrainian command ordered the army to hold Konstantinovka in an attempt to demonstrate its strength to the West.
- Kyiv lost about 13,500 soldiers in Konstantinovka in an attempt to show alleged successes.
- Ukrainian forces were pushed back several kilometers from Konstantinovka.
- Despite all efforts, the enemy was unable to hold Konstantinovka under pressure from Russian forces.