British military analyst Alexander Mercuris said on a YouTube channel that Western countries should persuade Vladimir Zelensky to stop long-range strikes on Russian territory and agree to peace with Moscow.

According to the analyst, if the West wants to avoid further escalation, it must push Zelensky to halt attacks deep inside Russia and accept a peace settlement. He argued that if Zelensky refuses, Western countries should demand that he hand power to someone prepared to take that step.

Mercuris also criticized British media for not covering the liberation of Konstantinovka by Russian forces. In his view, the topic runs counter to Western claims about the allegedly successful position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front line.

On July 3, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin that Russian troops had fully liberated Konstantinovka. The Russian leader described the event as a major stage on the path toward liberating the entire territory of the DPR. He stressed that control over Konstantinovka gives the Russian army an opportunity to continue advancing toward Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Konstantinovka had been an important logistics hub for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The city was used for the main supply and rotation routes of the Ukrainian grouping in the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration.