Russian Troops Are Sneaking Into Another Front-Line City
Taking advantage of Ukraine’s manpower shortage, Russian infiltrators may be creeping into Kostiantynivka
Russian infiltrators may have marched into the westernmost districts of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast
Hard evidence is scarce, but observers warn that Russian gains in Kostiantynivka may be going unreported
If enough Russian infantry accumulate, they could sever the supply line into Kostiantynivka and trigger the eventual collapse of the Ukrainian defense
The Russian Center Group of Forces is trying to do in Kostiantynivka what it recently did in neighboring Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk: infiltrate the front-line city with small groups of infantry and sow chaos among the Ukrainian defenders until enough Russians can accumulate to force the Ukrainians out.
Mapper Playfra was the first to report the presence of Russian infiltrators in the Berestovyi district on the western edge of Kostiantynivka. “It is unclear if they were subsequently eliminated or not, but the fact that they were present there clearly hints at Russian intentions in this sector,” Playfra wrote on Tuesday.
Previously, the Russians had tried to penetrate into Kostiantynivka along its eastern edge around Santurynivka district, but a stiff Ukrainian defense repulsed the Russian assaults. So the Russians pivoted west in recent days. “They’re attempting to find another way into the city,” Playfra reported.
And they may be succeeding. “This side was evidently less manned and controlled by Ukrainian forces,” Playfra explained. If the Russians can seize and hold positions in Berestoviy district and accumulate reinforcements, they could come “closer to an encirclement of Kostiantynivka,” Playfra wrote.
It’s important to note that Playfra, while usually accurate owing to their sources on the ground in Ukraine, is so far the only mapper to observe Russians in Berestovyi district.
But another observer warned Playfra is, if anything, being too conservative in his assessment of Russian progress in Kostiantynivka. “I believe that the Ukrainian situation in ... the southwest outskirts of Kostiantynivka may be much worse than colleague Playfra presents it on his map,” Thorkill wrote.
“Analysis of available geolocations and scraps of other information indicates that since October 2025, Russians have been conducting offensive operations there—with short operational pauses,” Thorkill added.
The Russians’ aim, Thorkill concluded, is to penetrate far enough north to sever the H-20 road—the main supply line for the Ukrainian garrison in Kostiantynivka, which includes the 36th Marine Brigade, parts of the 28th and 100th Air Assault Brigades, and the 107th, 109th and 122nd Territorial Defense Brigades.
“Overall,” Thorkill warned, “we’re dealing with a repeat of a similar Russian infiltration operation from Pokrovsk from the summer/fall of 2025.”
Read the rest at Euromaidan Press.