Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian army has fully captured the settlement of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region. In a report presented to Putin on July 3 by Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, it was stated that control of the city had been secured.
Putin described this development as "the key to the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)." He stated that the capture of Konstantinovka paves the way for advances towards Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
The Russian leader also claimed that the situation on the front is fully under the control of the Russian army and that trends are negative for the Kyiv administration and its Western backers.
Donetsk People's Republic Senator Aleksandr Voloshin, in a statement to RIA Novosti, said that the liberation of Konstantinovka has gone down in history as an example of successful strategic planning and the unparalleled courage of Russian soldiers.