Residents must flee Kostiantynivka on foot as vehicles face Russian strikes

Russian forces are targeting vehicles in the area, including civilian cars, he said.

“Drones are striking vehicles, including civilian cars. The Russians do not care what they hit. They simply keep attacking from early morning,” Diachenko said. “The essence of Russia’s actions is to destroy, devastate and kill everything.”

Diachenko also described a sharp deterioration in conditions in Druzhkivka. The city has no electricity or gas and is experiencing serious communications problems, he said.

Russia claims capture of Kostiantynivka, Zelenskyy responds

Putin met with Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and other senior commanders late on July 3, claiming that Russian forces had captured Kostiantynivka, “liberated” Luhansk Oblast and made “significant advances” in Donetsk Oblast.

The Institute for the Study of War rejected those claims, reporting that the Russian presence in Kostiantynivka was limited to small groups of saboteurs scattered among Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine’s General Staff and the East Group of Forces also denied Putin’s claims on July 4. Ukrainian forces continue to defend Kostiantynivka and strike Russian troops attempting to infiltrate the city.

Zelenskyy called Russia’s claim that it had captured Kostiantynivka a lie.

“If Kostiantynivka is now under Russian control, then Putin probably will have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “But he still will not cross the front line because the truth is very different from Putin’s words.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov offered Moscow’s explanation for why such a meeting would not take place.

“If Mr. Zelenskyy is expressing his readiness to come to Russia in this way, we welcome it,” Peskov said. “But we would like to remind him that President Putin has said he is ready to receive him in Moscow. After all, Moscow, not Kostiantynivka, is the capital of the Russian Federation.”