I recently posted a diary that General Syrskyi had visited the Ukrainian forces at Kostiantynivka and that whenever he makes these field trips into places that the Russians claim to have captured, that often means “something is coming”:
ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE: Syrskyi Was Recently in Kostiantynivka Meeting With His Corps Commanders. Something Is Coming
And so it is that the news comes today that another city claimed to be captured by the Russians has been cleared:
Skelia Regiment clears Kostiantynivka of Russian forces
More here:
Ukraine’s Skelya regiment clears Russian forces from Kostiantynivka
https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1186165.html
Premature claims of success. Pure propagandistic pantomime from a desperate regime. Even Czar Putin got into the act … publicly claiming that Kostiantynivka has been captured. He really needs to quit publicly making such a fool of himself with such unfounded and unsubstantiated claims of successes by his now reeling occupation army in Ukraine. But desperate is as sesperate does.
One might recall that on July 3, 2026 Russian leadership claimed full capture of the city even though independent analysts and Ukrainian commanders indicated that Russian forces had infiltrated only parts of the city but failed to secure it entirely. The Institute for the Study of War(ISW), for example, noted that while Russian forces controlled the eastern third of the city, the majority still remained under disputed control with organized Ukrainian defenses:
Russian forces have made and continue to make tactical gains in Kostyantynivka — Russia’s assessed main effort for the spring-summer 2026 offensive — during June 2026. ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces maintain a presence (either through advances or infiltrations) in 36.98 percent of Kostyantynivka and made 76.73 percent of the gains in June 2026. Russian forces have infiltrated into a significant part of Kostyantynivka but have not secured control over or established enduring positions in much of these areas.
Sending infils into Pokrovsk created problems for Ukraine. But the Ukrainians learned a thing or two about how to deal with infiltrations when they cleared Kupiansk. They have learned how to deal with it. Infiltration will no longer be a winning strategy for Russia. The Russians will have to come up with something else … as their logistics and personnel gets winnowed down every hour and every day.
Putin, Gerasimov and co had thought Kostiantynivka was the soft underbelly of the “Fortress Belt” and focused much of their Spring/Summer Offensive at it while trying to pin down as much of the Ukrainian army farther South in the Pokrovsk direction. They thought wrong.
It is note worthy that the Skelya Regiment just fresh off of its recent success in clearing out Dnipropetrovsk oblast of Russians could so quickly pivot to doing the same at Kostiantynivka, a bit farther up North. But that is why General Syrskyi(now being vilified by some) created the Rapid Response Assault units … against much push back within the established army and elsewhere. His detractors called these units “Syrskyi’s Wolves”. But they have proven to be highly effective.
Through thick and thin, ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE’s “Fortress Belt” will stand. And so will Ukraina(our land).
SLAVA UKRAINA ! PEREMOHA !!
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Power matters.