Konstantinovka is a "thorn in Russia's side", a Ukrainian commander says. If the Russians enter there, it will be very difficult to stop them. How are the city and other settlements in the area defended? And how do civilians live?
While Russia controls almost entirely the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, about 18 percent of the Donetsk region is still not under Russian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted on April 12. However, the Russian army continues to advance. Its current offensive is mainly aimed at the city of Konstantinovka. Taking the city would open the way for the Russians to the last major cities in the region – Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
"Konstantinovka - a thorn in the side" of the Russians
Fighting is already underway on the outskirts of Konstantinovka, a Ukrainian company commander with the call sign "Lisitsa" told DW. According to him, some Russian units have managed to penetrate the city from the surrounding forests in the fog. "They are exploring the entire front and looking for places to penetrate or drive a wedge into the defensive line", he explains. "Probably after the series of attacks that we are currently observing, they will choose a certain section of the front and subject it to massive attacks. This is their usual tactic since last year", the commander adds.
He defines Konstantinovka as a "thorn in the side" of the Russian army. "Until they pass through it, they will not be able to move forward. "The agglomeration of Konstantinovka, Drushkivka, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk is like one big city," he explains, warning that if the Russians enter there, it will be very difficult to stop them.
Withdrawal as part of the peace talks?
Russia is trying to bring the entire region under its control not only by military means. In the peace talks so far, Moscow has demanded the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the entire Donbas, i.e. from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Kiev rejects this demand. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fears that after the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army, Russia could use the region as a launching pad for attacks on other areas. According to him, there are "strong defensive and fortified facilities" in the region. Even if fighting were to break out in the area, about 200,000 people would still live there.
"How can we give up territory for which thousands of our men gave their lives during negotiations? That is out of the question," says Ruslan, commander of the mortar company defending the positions at the entrance to the city of Konstantinovka.
"This is a city where our citizens still live. It must be defended," confirms the battalion's chief of staff, Eduard. "If we simply abandon it, soon there will be nothing left of the Donetsk region. If Konstantinovka falls, Kramatorsk will be the next target."
Locals live in constant fear
It is unclear how many civilians are still in Konstantinovka, which once had a population of 70,000. Evacuation is only possible on foot - along a road over which a net has been stretched to protect against Russian drone attacks, which has since been seriously damaged. A company commander from a rifle brigade told DW that the area is quite dangerous for people: "I don't understand why they don't leave."
Many people still live there in nearby Druzhkivka. A passerby told a DW reporter that the town has become scary. And an elderly man named Vitaly says that he has nowhere to go and that he doesn't have long to live anyway.
In Kramatorsk, located right on the front line, hardly a day goes by without new destruction. In one of the latest Russian air strikes, three people, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed.
One of the bombs fell in a residential area that has been bombed seven times so far. However, the people seem surprisingly calm. "We will pack up", says Olena, looking out the window, which no longer has glass. She also says that they will have to leave if the existing curfew is extended. "That's how it was in Pokrovsk, Konstantinovka and Druzhkivka. It's clear to us that the same thing will happen to us," the woman says.
Drone protection nets have long been a familiar sight on the front lines. They are now also on the outskirts of Kramatorsk and in neighboring Slavyansk. Some districts of Slavyansk are already within range of Russian FPV drones, so minors there have already been forcibly evacuated. However, the rest of the city still seems lively: cafes are open, pensioners and women with children walk the streets.
"If I had the means, I would leave. Because it is very difficult for a person to watch all this", says Irina, an elderly local resident. "If we really give up this part of Donbas, it would save many human lives - both soldiers and civilians. But how can we give up this territory? After all, it is part of Ukraine!"
"There are many corpses on the streets and in the courtyards of houses"
Slavyansk is also under constant shelling. In the city center there is a hotel that burned down after being attacked by several "Shahed" drones. Vladislav Samusenko was in one of the rooms when the attack began. "Thank God I'm alive," the man sighs, pointing to the devastated hotel room.
Samusenko founded a non-governmental organization called "The Rhythm of Our Life." Its initial goal was to help orphans, but after the full-scale Russian invasion began, he also began organizing the evacuation of civilians from threatened areas. "Immediately it became clear to me that human lives had to be saved," Samusenko says.
On March 24, he evacuated an elderly couple from Konstantinovka - a woman and her paralyzed husband. They had to walk eight kilometers to reach the town - under the constant threat of Russian attacks. "Mostly pensioners stayed there. There are many corpses on the streets, as well as in the backyards of houses. "You can smell it when you pass a house," Samusenko says.
He also met several young men there who were afraid of being drafted into the army. "We have too few fighters. Our soldiers are tired and there are no reserves." But while civilians ask him for support, Samusenko will always help them escape from the cities caught in the war, he assures DW.