According to blogger Vladimir Antonyuk, a sudden Russian attack in central Konstantinovka caught the Ukrainian command off guard and gave Russian forces an advantage inside the city.

He said that about a week earlier, Ukrainian commanders had received a report claiming the area had been fully cleared and that all possible Russian crossing routes from the eastern bank of the river had been blocked.

Antonyuk wrote on his Telegram channel that while Ukrainian forces were focused on fighting for the southern outskirts, Russian units unexpectedly moved back into most of the industrial zone on the western bank of the Krivoy Torets River. In his account, that development came as a shock to the Ukrainian command.

Based on the information it had received, the Ukrainian side quickly sent in a special forces unit to stabilize the situation. Antonyuk said those troops were acting on distorted intelligence and did not expect to encounter superior forces.

As a result, the Ukrainian special forces unit was surrounded and then completely destroyed, he said. Antonyuk described the episode as a clear example of the consequences of false reporting.

He also said that the Russian foothold in this area, combined with growing pressure from the Ilyinovka side, is creating the risk of a full encirclement of Ukrainian units in this part of Konstantinovka. In his view, Ukrainian forces there are already boxed in from three sides.