Russian defence ministry says its forces captured Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine

July 3 - Russia's military said on Friday that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, a key locality whose capture Moscow has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region.

The announcement was made by General Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia's General Chief of Staff, as President Vladimir Putin visited a command point overseeing the actions of Russian forces in Ukraine.

Gerasimov, in a report to Putin on the conduct of the war, now in its fifth year, said the southern group of Russia's forces was "carrying out offensive operations to liberate" all of Donetsk Region.

"The troops of the group have liberated the city of Kostiantynivka, one of the main defensive hubs of the enemy within the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantnynivka fortified area", Gerasimov said.

The Defence Ministry's post on the Telegram messaging app showed what it said were scenes from the captured town, including pictures of Russian servicemen holding up national flags around shattered buildings.

Russia's military has for some time reported that its troops were in control of parts of Kostiantynivka, one of several cities seen as a network of key fortifications in Ukraine's defence of the region.

Ukraine's military made no comment on the Russian military report. REUTERS