Putin proposes 'humanitarian mission' in Konstantinovka, a city he says Russia has captured

Putin said the operation should follow the model of Oleshky in the occupied Kherson region, where Russia and Ukraine previously agreed to a temporary ceasefire, The Insider reported. He said Russian troops would need five days to clear the area of mines, and that if Kyiv believes it controls the city, it should provide security on its side. He also said Moscow agrees to let foreign journalists into the city.

Interfax quoted Putin as saying the city is under the control of Russian troops. He proposed that the mission be organized by the human rights commissioners of Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow declared Konstantinovka fully captured in July. Ukraine's General Staff rejected the claim, and President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Putin meet him in the city if it were truly under Russian control. The Kremlin declined, inviting the Ukrainian president to come to Moscow instead.

According to the DeepState monitoring project, the city is not under the control of Russian forces, although the Russian army advanced in the southwest over the past week. A Nov. 10 summary by The Insider said Ukrainian troops retain the ability to strike with drones across the entire city, while Russian units have expanded their zone of control to the southeast and around the village of Chervone to the northeast.

The Institute for the Study of War assesses that Ukrainian forces continue to hold roughly 20-25% of the city's territory, and that the Russian army is far from full control. On the morning of the meeting, Ukraine's General Staff reported 14 Russian attacks on the Konstantinovka axis over the previous 24 hours.

The Moscow Times noted that Putin has claimed Russian control over Konstantinovka at least four times since December 2025: he spoke of "more than 50% of the city" on Dec. 19 during his annual results event, of "96%" in an interview with Pavel Zarubin on June 28, and of full capture on July 3 at a meeting with the military leadership. The ISW has said such statements are part of a cognitive war aimed at convincing the West of rapid Russian advances.

This is not the first time Moscow has proposed a humanitarian pause in Konstantinovka: on July 4, the Russian Defense Ministry proposed a six-hour ceasefire to hand over the bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine. DeepState analysts warned at the time that Russian units could use a ceasefire to entrench themselves in the city.

The Oleshky operation ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1. During that time the sides organized road demining, deliveries of food and medicine, and the evacuation of residents. According to Melania Trump, nearly 800 people left the city. After the operation ended, Ukraine's General Staff accused Russia of using the pause to strengthen positions, rotate troops and deliver ammunition, and Sky News published footage of Russian military equipment moving in the Oleshky area. Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets later clarified that the equipment was used for demining under Ukrainian supervision, and assessed the operation positively.

The meeting between Witkoff, Kushner and Putin followed two days of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, which ended with an agreement to prepare a new large-scale prisoner exchange. After Moscow, the US negotiators plan to travel to Dublin for talks with Zelensky.

Accounts diverge: Putin says Konstantinovka is fully under the control of Russian troops, while Ukraine's General Staff and Zelensky deny it. According to DeepState, the ISW and The Insider, fighting in the city continues and Ukrainian forces hold part of the territory.