Ukrainian troops continue to hold defensive positions in the embattled city of Kostyantynivka, a critical stronghold in the Donetsk region, despite ongoing Russian bombardments and drone attacks.
As Russian forces advance, the city -- once home to 60,000 people -- has seen its population dwindle to just over 6,000, according to Ukrainian authorities. Hundreds have fled in recent weeks, driven out by escalating air strikes and deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
Current Time correspondent Andriy Kuzakov recently embedded with a Ukrainian patrol unit navigating the war-torn streets of the city. The soldiers, operating under constant threat of drone strikes, now carry shotguns in the city to defend against deadly Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Drones are the main danger," said a Ukrainian soldier using the call sign Wolf. "The shotgun is the only effective weapon against them. We used to rely on electronic warfare, but now it's useless."
Kostyantynivka's elevated position makes it a key military location in the area. "We must hold this city. There are no options to hand it over," Wolf added. "If Russian forces gain the high ground, they will have a strategic advantage."
Russian aerial assaults have turned the once peaceful city into one of the war's most active battlegrounds. Despite the danger, some civilians are reluctant to leave the area.
Aid organizations have helped deliver humanitarian assistance and encouraged residents to evacuate, but traveling in the city during daylight hours poses extreme risk.
"We could go in, but it's not clear if we would make it out," said another soldier known by the call sign Dor. "It's better not to be here at all."
