Damaged stairs littered with debris and a Russian flag, showcasing the aftermath of an incident or disaster scene.

Damaged stairs littered with debris and a Russian flag, showcasing the aftermath of an incident or disaster scene.
Russian flags in Konstantinovka – Screengrab X

A key battle is unfolding.

Check out any MSM news outlet you want, and you’ll find the very same story: Ukraine has turned the tables on Russia, and it’s finally winning the war.

While there’s no denying that Russian advances have been slower than last year, and that Ukraine did claw back some territory, the basic fact remains: Russia is actually edging its forces for the final battle for Donetsk, the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.

The key to this last chapter in the war for the Donbas is the fortified bastion of Konstantinovka, which Russian forces are in the process of encircling and storming.

We’ve seen this playbook: Russians come up to a fortified city, and bypass it, go around it, encircle it, starve it of reinforcements and ammunition by targeting the logistical routes.

Konstantinovka is reportedly already in a semi-encirclement, and heavy urban battles are ongoing.

Slavyangrad on Telegram:

“Earlier, Ukrainian military propagandist Mashovets stated that the situation near Konstantinovka for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is sharply deteriorating, and the battles for the city are entering their final phase.

[…] The situation in Konstantinovka is critical: Ukrainian Armed Forces are being encircled

Ukrainian units are gradually withdrawing from the central areas of the city to the northwest due to the threat of being flanked, admit enemy military analysts.

[…] In the western part of the city, the Russian Armed Forces have entrenched themselves in the Chervonsky district, entering houses in neighboring districts. They have crossed Kryvoi Torets and are entrenching themselves at a chemical plant in the city center. They have captured several blocks to the southwest.”

TASS reported:

“As many as 500 Ukrainian soldiers may be trapped in the center of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

The military expert told TASS earlier on June 9 that Russian troops were advancing on Konstantinovka from two directions: from the settlements of Ilyinovka and Dolgaya Balka. The Ukrainian troops that had not left Konstantinovka could be trapped, he said.

‘In my estimates, there is a battalion of Ukrainian militants – about 360-500 personnel – in the center of Konstantinovka. If they do not wish to lay down their arms, they will remain in the center of Konstantinovka forever’, the military expert said.”

Map highlighting the regions around Konstantinovka, including Ilyinovka and Novodmitrovka, with arrows indicating key locations and strategic areas.
Konstantinovka getting encircled

Watch: Images from the storming of the city back in April.

EADaily reported:

“Fighters The RF Armed Forces also pointed out that the enemy had begun to undermine multi-storey buildings that were being abandoned during the transition to a new position. Some buildings, according to the testimonies of our military, were mined a long time ago. If we recall similar episodes from the time of the battles for Bakhmut and Toretsk, then the Ukrainian Armed Forces also actively mined high-rise buildings when leaving positions in a particular quarter. Thus, the enemy seeks to destroy potential shelters for the Russian infantry, and also excludes the possibility for our units to occupy positions dominating the district.”

Read more:

Top Kiev Negotiator Budanov Says Russia and Ukraine Are Moving Towards a Peace Deal To End 4-Year War

The post Russian Forces in Control of Eastern Part of Konstantinovka, Advance Into Northeastern Outskirts – Key Bastion Opens Up Slavyansk-Kramatorsk Belt for Final Donetsk Battle (VIDEOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.