The Ukrainian command did not expect assault units of the 4th Brigade of Russia’s Southern Group of Forces to enter Konstantinovka and encircle Ukrainian troops in this sector. The commander of an assault company from Regiment 1194, known by the call sign Yarius, told RIA Novosti about the situation.

According to him, the Ukrainian command did not take reports of Russian fighters entering the city seriously. They assumed that only small groups had accidentally broken through. Yarius said that by that point Konstantinovka was already effectively surrounded and was coming under Russian control.

The company commander said Russian assault troops used small sabotage-group tactics when entering the city. This approach made it possible to build up forces gradually, clear individual areas and continue moving deeper into Konstantinovka.

Yarius said modern combat operations are largely built around the work of small groups. He explained that such units enter a large settlement, bypass enemy positions, move into the rear or onto the flank, and then begin clearing operations after enough forces have been assembled.

Konstantinovka is located in the north of the DNR, about 55 kilometers from Donetsk. The city was important as a logistics hub used for the supply and rotation of Ukrainian forces in the area of the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration.