Russian Fighter Says Konstantinovka Drone Crews Cleared
Russian fighter says Ukrainian drone operators were cleared from Konstantinovka, a key DPR railway hub, as fighting continues near the city outskirts.
Konstantinovka has been almost completely cleared of Ukrainian army drone operators, according to a serviceman of a Russian special-purpose battalion from the Yug group of forces, who uses the call sign Altai.
He said Ukrainian UAV teams had continued operating in the city until recently, but their activity there has now effectively been disrupted. According to the Russian fighter, Ukrainian units remaining in Konstantinovka have been left without supplies. He added that Ukrainian drone crews had either been destroyed or had retreated northwest toward Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka and nearby areas.
Altai also said Russian operations had left no functioning antennas in the city for controlling Ukrainian drones.
According to him, Ukrainian UAV operators are now forced to work from deeper rear positions because the immediate area around Konstantinovka has been cleared by Russian drones. He added that locating enemy operators now requires searching the wooded areas around Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka.
On June 11, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that Russian forces had fully established control over the eastern part of Konstantinovka and reached the city’s northeastern outskirts. Fighting is also continuing in the southwestern districts and on the grounds of the metallurgical plant.
Konstantinovka is located in the north of the Donetsk People’s Republic, about 55 kilometers from Donetsk. The city is important for supplying Ukrainian forces in the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, as a major transit railway hub runs through it.