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Putin Wants Ukraine to Abandon Kostiantynivka Under Cover of Humanitarian Mission, Zelenskyy Says
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin is attempting to use a proposed humanitarian operation in Kostiantynivka to force Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the city, allowing Russian forces to occupy it without securing control through combat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a conversation with journalists attended by UNITED24 Media on November 13.
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According to Zelenskyy, the proposal was presented to Ukraine by American negotiators, but he explained that fighting continues inside Kostiantynivka and that the city is not under Russian control.
“Putin simply wants us to leave Kostiantynivka so that they can move in and occupy the entire city that way,” Zelenskyy said.
The president described Moscow’s proposal as an attempt to achieve through negotiations what Russian forces have failed to accomplish on the battlefield.
“Russia’s story about the ‘civilian population’ in Kostiantynivka is Putin’s reaction to the fact that he has failed to capture the city. It’s an absolutely primitive move, because otherwise he has no way of taking this city,” he stated.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had made every effort to evacuate civilians from the area and continued evacuations whenever conditions allowed. He also warned that surrendering Kostiantynivka would expose other Ukrainian-held cities in the Donetsk region to further Russian advances.
According to the president, Russian forces have been unable to capture Kostiantynivka for approximately 18 months, despite sustained assaults. He reported that Russia suffered 54,000 killed and seriously wounded troops across its operations in October alone.
Zelenskyy argued that Moscow’s interest in Kostiantynivka was driven by its strategic importance rather than humanitarian concerns. “And what did they propose? Kostiantynivka. Why? Because after Kostiantynivka come Kramatorsk and Sloviansk,” he said.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in its November 13 assessment, similarly warned that Russia could exploit a temporary ceasefire in Kostiantynivka to reinforce its positions and prepare further offensive operations toward Druzhkivka, part of Ukraine’s fortified defensive line in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine has previously reported similar Russian activity during a humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky, Kherson region. On November 2, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces had used the temporary pause to rotate troops, replenish ammunition, strengthen defensive positions, and improve logistics.
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