President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Putin’s proposal to establish a "humanitarian mission" in Kostiantynivka is a tactic to seize the city and push toward Kramatorsk. This proposal arrived via U.S. negotiators following a Nov. 12 meeting in Moscow between Putin and special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Zelensky told journalists on Nov. 13 that the move is "absolutely primitive" because it allows Russian troops to reposition to more advantageous positions in and around the embattled Donetsk Oblast settlement, which remains a major obstacle to Moscow. The president warned that if Ukraine loses Kostiantynivka, Russian forces will move toward other cities in Donbas, specifically Sloviansk. Zelensky told journalists that he explained his position to the American negotiators, noting that the people in Kostiantynivka are exclusively Ukrainian citizens and that fighting is currently taking place inside the city. This strategy to gain control via a ceasefire is a direct way for Moscow to bypass the military difficulty of the current fighting.
Ukrainian resistance and the risk of troop rotation
The Ukrainian General Staff reports that its forces continue to actively operate against Russian infantry groups attempting to infiltrate the town of Kostiantynivka. Control of the settlement is a military and diplomatic priority for Moscow because Kostiantynivka remains a major obstacle to Russian efforts to seize the rest of the entire Donetsk region. Dmytro Lytvyn, a presidential adviser, questioned Moscow’s motives by pointing to a previous Russian-proposed humanitarian operation in Oleshky, Kherson Oblast. That previous operation allowed Moscow to rotate troops and bring additional personnel into the area under a temporary ceasefire. Zelensky noted that Ukraine provided the U.S. side with a list of seven or eight blockaded settlements where civilians, including children, remain. These include villages near Oleshky, yet Russia did not propose a humanitarian operation for any of those locations. Ukraine has also rejected Russian claims that Moscow controls Kostiantynivka, and officials maintain that the settlement remains under Ukrainian control. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine did everything possible to evacuate civilians from the area to prevent the humanitarian crisis that a Russian occupation would cause. The Ukrainian military maintains that its forces still hold the territory despite Russian efforts to penetrate the town.
