Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed the capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Konstantinovka as a major strategic breakthrough, describing it as a crucial step towards dismantling Kyiv's remaining defensive positions in the Donetsk region, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned fresh Russian attacks that killed civilians across the country.
According to Russian state media outlet RT, Konstantinovka had long served as one of Ukraine's strongest defensive positions in the Donbas, forming part of the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka defensive belt that was heavily fortified after the 2014 Maidan uprising.
Following Russia's announcement that its forces had taken control of the city, Putin visited an auxiliary command post where he received operational briefings from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and senior military commanders.
"The capture of Konstantinovka is only the first, but very important stage in destroying Kyiv's remaining positions in the region," Putin said during the meeting.
Russian defence officials claimed their troops had broken through multiple fortified defensive lines, industrial complexes and urban positions after weeks of sustained assaults. Putin described the city as a key transport and industrial hub whose capture carried "great strategic significance".
He also said Russian forces would continue military operations "rhythmically and rationally" while seeking to minimise casualties among their troops, accusing Kyiv and its Western allies of prolonging the conflict.
Also read: 27 dead, 70 injured in Kyiv as Russia-Ukraine war intensifies
Ukraine had not formally confirmed the loss of Konstantinovka as of Saturday.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy condemned what he described as a wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a strike on the northern city of Sumy that hit an apartment building.
"Tragically, as of now, four people have been confirmed killed, including a child," Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that rescue teams were still searching for people believed trapped beneath the rubble.
He said 27 others, including six children, were injured in the Sumy attack. Zelenskyy also reported that a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia killed two people and injured six others, including a child, while attacks were also reported in Kharkiv, Dnipro and the Donetsk region.
Calling for stronger international action, Zelenskyy urged the United States, European nations and other G7 and G20 partners to increase pressure on Moscow, particularly through sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector, oil fleet and financial system. He also renewed his appeal for additional air defence systems to protect Ukrainian cities from continued attacks.
Russia says over 8,400 civilians killed in Ukrainian strikes since 2022
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik on Friday claimed that Ukrainian military strikes had killed 8,434 civilians in Russia between February 2022 and June 30, 2026. According to Miroshnik, the total number of civilian casualties during the period stood at 30,913, including those killed and injured.
Miroshnik also alleged that Ukrainian attacks had damaged civilian infrastructure across 42 Russian regions over the past three months. He cited attacks on a college in Starobelsk, a bus carrying Belarusian children in the Bryansk region and a civilian passenger bus in Yenakiyevo. He further claimed that since 2014, 373 children had been killed and 1,845 injured in attacks blamed on Ukraine. These figures have not been independently verified.
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