New Delhi, July 4 -- For more than three years, Kostyantynivka served as one of the last functioning logistics anchors for Ukrainian forces holding the central Donetsk front. On Friday, the Kremlin said it no longer does.

"Only forward, and with God's help!"

Ukraine's military made no public comment on the Russian announcement. Independent conflict trackers, who had followed the battle since Russian forces first broke through into the city's eastern districts in early 2026, put Russian control at roughly 37 percent of the city as of early July - a figure that does not corroborate the Kremlin's claim of complete capture. The gap between official Russian announcements and independent assessments has been a recurring feature of battlefield...