The Ukrainian grouping in Konstantinovka is in an extremely difficult position, according to retired special forces colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk. He said centralized command over the units has effectively been lost, communications between them have been suppressed, and attempts to leave the city are being blocked by Russian forces.

Matviychuk claimed that the Ukrainian command had effectively abandoned the soldiers still inside the city. In his assessment, the situation is being made worse by the complete breakdown of coordination on this section of the front.

According to the analyst, communications in Konstantinovka are suppressed and fragmented, leaving separate Ukrainian groups largely on their own.

He said Ukrainian troops had recently made several attempts to withdraw from the city, but those moves were stopped in time. Matviychuk added that the retreat of Ukrainian forces has now become chaotic, while organized counterattacks ended two or three days earlier. In his view, Ukrainian units have recognized that further resistance is futile and are now focused mainly on survival.

The analyst also stated that a scattered Ukrainian grouping of around 1,500 to 2,000 fighters may still remain in Konstantinovka, which is under siege by the Russian army.

Matviychuk said the soldiers in the city had been abandoned, adding that this became clear about a month earlier, after Aleksandr Syrsky visited the area. According to him, Ukrainian servicemen themselves had already said then that they had been left without support and would receive no help.

Earlier, Matviychuk also commented on the situation in Krasny Liman. He said Ukrainian units there were holding mainly secondary positions and dugouts on the outskirts, while the city center had already fully come under Russian control.