Ukrainian troops have been pushed out of the Donbass village named after the Byzantine Empire’s capital, the Defense Ministry has said
The Russian military has gained control over Constantinople in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Defense Ministry in Moscow stated on Sunday.
It posted a video on Telegram showing Russian troops raising the flag over the recently liberated village. Ukraine lost more than 50 troops in the fighting, according to the MOD.
The settlement was named after the capital of the Byzantine Empire by Greek settlers from Crimea who founded the village in the 18th century.
According to the ministry’s tally published on Sunday, as a result of Russian strikes over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have lost up to 1,300 service members, one US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, a US-made MLRS multiple launch rocket system, a Polish-made self-propelled Krab artillery gun, a US-made М777 howitzer, two US-made М113 armored personnel carriers, a US-made MaxxPro armored vehicle, as well as a number of other armored vehicles, artillery guns, electronic warfare systems, and cars.
Russian Air Force, drone, missile, and artillery units have also hit several Ukrainian gas processing facilities, military airfields, and drone assembly workshops over the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
On Saturday, military officials in Moscow announced that Russian troops liberated the villages of Viktorovka, Nikolayevka, and Staraya Sorochina in Russia’s Kursk Region. These losses have made the situation more dire for Ukrainian troops in the village of Malaya Loknya, a major stronghold for Ukraine in the region.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has been ramping up pressure on Sudzha, the largest settlement under Ukrainian control in Kursk Region. According to media reports, Kiev’s forces are experiencing logistical issues as a result, with a single major cross-border road remaining at their disposal.
According to some media reports, up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops risk being cut off completely in the area in the near future.
Kiev launched a surprise incursion into Kursk Region in early August last year, seizing several localities near the border. Since then, Russian forces have been squeezing the Ukrainian troops out of the territory.
