Russia Claims Kostiantynivka Capture; Ukraine Denies, Zelenskyy Challenges Putin to Meet There

Russia announced Friday that its forces have completely captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, a strategic point on the route to the last major cities in the Donetsk region still under Kyiv's control. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia now fully controls the city and that President Vladimir Putin had discussed the development with the military.

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Kostiantynivka – completely occupied. We now have full control of this city.

Ukraine immediately and strongly refuted Russia's assertion. Major Andriy Kovalov, a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told RBC-Ukraine that the information about Putin's statement was untrue. He affirmed that Ukrainian defenders continue to hold positions in certain areas of the front, describing the situation as difficult but under the control of Ukrainian defense forces.

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Information circulating in the Ukrainian media about V. Putin's statement that the Russian army has occupied the settlement of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region does not correspond to reality.

In response to Russia's claims, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy suggested that if Putin truly controlled Kostiantynivka, he should have no problem meeting there to find a diplomatic solution to end the war. Zelenskyy asserted that Putin's claim was false and that Putin would not cross the front line because the reality on the ground differs significantly from his statements.

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If Kostiantynivka is now controlled by Russia, I think Putin would have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war. But he still won't cross the front line, because the truth is very different from Putin's words.

The Kremlin dismissed the possibility of such a meeting. Peskov told a Russian media channel that while they welcome any desire from Zelenskyy to visit Russia, Putin's offer was to receive him in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, not Kostiantynivka. The U.S. Institute for the Study of War also denied Russia's claims, with independent Western analysts viewing such announcements as a spectacle aimed at the United States.

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If Mr. Zelenskyy expresses a desire to come to Russia in this way, we welcome it, but we want to remind you that President Putin spoke about his desire to receive him in Moscow. After all, the capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow, not Kostiantynivka.