Ukraine still controls the strategically important eastern city of Konstantinovka, the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, denying Russian claims that the settlement had fallen under their control, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
“Of course it's not true. This is another Russian lie, an attempt to create some news“, Zelensky said on the social network “Ex“. “If Konstantinovka were under Russian control, then maybe Putin would have no problem meeting there and finding a diplomatic way to finally end this war“, he added he.
“We deny this. These are false allegations“, said a General Staff official. They added that Konstantinovka remained under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “Units of the 19th Army Corps of the Eastern Group continue to conduct defensive operations along designated lines in the city and its outskirts“, the General Staff reported.
The Russian military reported to President Vladimir Putin yesterday that their forces had taken control of the strategically important Konstantinovka. It is the southernmost of four key settlements that form a defensive line central to Ukraine's efforts to hold the heavily industrialized Donetsk region.
Analysts say that capturing Konstantinovka would give Russian forces a bridgehead from which to advance north along the defensive belt that is now the main axis of their campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a from the auxiliary command posts of the country's armed forces, where Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to him that the eastern Ukrainian town of Konstantinovka had been captured, TASS reported, BTA reports.
The point is located at an unspecified location in the Northern Military District, northern Russia. It was visited by Putin yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
In a video recording released by the Kremlin press service, the head of state said he had no doubts about victory.
A Russian assault unit commander reported to the president about the situation on the front before concluding: "Victory will be ours."
"Thank you, I have no doubt, thank you very much," Putin replied. "I want to thank you and all your guys for the results of your combat work. Take care ", he added.
Russia announced the capture of its first major Ukrainian city this year after weeks of strikes on its energy infrastructure that have left the country short of fuel. Early Thursday morning, it carried out a massive airstrike on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, in which local authorities said at least 30 people were killed.
At a meeting at a command post he visited, Putin noted that the pace of the Russian army's advance was increasing along the entire front line.