Putin keen to offset bad news on Crimea by capture of Kostyantynivka, as Russians advance by crawling between houses (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,582) (opens in new tab)

Covers Russian troop build-up threatens city seen as key to seizing Ukraine's Donbas

Putin is betting on seizing Kostyantynivka to shift attention from Crimea. Intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure threaten to sap his capacity to sustain a long, attritional push in Donbas.

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