Ukraine fights for Kostyantynivka as it drops third‑party consent for strikes inside Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky said fighting continues for the eastern town of Kostyantynivka, which Moscow claims to have captured. Kyiv rejects the claim, describing it as a lie, and stresses that the town, home to about 78,000 people before the 2022 invasion, remains under Ukrainian defense. Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing large‑scale attacks ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey and noted that Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets—reaching as far as the Urals—are delivering daily results.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that Ukraine no longer requires permission from any third party to conduct long‑range attacks on legitimate military targets inside Russia with domestically produced weapons. Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, he said the shift reflects Ukraine’s expanding defence industry, now capable of deploying drones, cruise missiles and other systems against oil refineries, missile bases, ammunition depots and logistics hubs deep inside Russian territory.