Ukraine rejects Russian claim about capture of Kostiantynivka town

Ukraine on Saturday denied claims that Russian forces had captured the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, Ukraine’s General Staff spokesman told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.

The town remains under the control of Ukrainian forces, which continue defensive operations in and around the settlement, Andriy Kovalev told the outlet.

“On July 3, the enemy carried out 11 assault actions on this front, without success,” he said, accusing Moscow of spreading “disinformation and fakes” about the situation on the ground.

“Ukrainian defenders continue to hold their positions along the designated lines. The situation remains difficult but is under the control of Ukraine’s defense forces,” he said

Russia claimed on Friday that its forces had taken control of the front-line industrial city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

“The main news is that Kostiantynivka has been completely taken,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Kostiantynivka is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of the city of Kramatorsk, which has served as the administrative center of the eastern region since Russia seized Donetsk in 2014.