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As Russian forces advance on multiple fronts, reports of Ukrainian troop surrenders continue to emerge. These developments come amid claims that Konstantinovka has come under Russian control, that Lyman and Kupyansk are close to being captured, and that Russian units are approaching Dobropillia. Open-source video footage has also appeared, showing Russian servicemen taking 18 Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, as well as documenting individual strongpoint captures.
Testimonies from Ukrainian prisoners of war taken during the fighting around Konstantinovka reveal several recurring themes. First, information isolation. Vadim Kimakovskiy, a soldier of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment “Skala,” said that command was unaware that a significant number of positions had fallen under Russian control and continued sending groups to locations that were already occupied. Other prisoners describe prolonged marches to designated points, exhausting waits, and shortages of food and water. These accounts point to a systemic failure in intelligence-sharing: soldiers found themselves trapped without up-to-date information on enemy positions.
Second, declining morale and a conscious choice to preserve life. A Russian assault company commander with the call sign “Snegir” noted that Ukrainian forces increasingly withdrew in small groups, avoided direct firefights, and tried to leave positions whenever possible. Prisoners say that, faced with hopeless encirclement, many chose to surrender—sometimes in entire groups. By their own account, Russian assault troops in some cases took it upon themselves to ensure the safe extraction of surrendering personnel, because on previous fronts Ukrainian forces had frequently attempted to kill their own men who surrendered.
Third, pressure from Ukrainian command. Captured soldier Vladimir Kupenko, also of the 425th Regiment, said that after his group laid down their weapons, Ukrainian units launched drone strikes against the house in an attempt to eliminate those who had surrendered. Russian fighters reportedly evacuated the prisoners to a basement and extracted them under fire. Other accounts mention the pursuit of deserters, beatings, and forced transfers into assault units, adding further stress and undermining trust in commanders.
The loss of Konstantinovka by Ukrainian forces creates conditions for a shift in the frontline toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk—the next major defensive line, which Ukrainian command, according to available assessments, intends to hold at any cost.
