Russia has shifted its offensive priority following difficulties - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
ISW reports a shift in Russia's priorities from Sloviansk to Kostiantynivka. The occupiers failed to capture the city by May 2026 despite significant losses.
Russia has likely shifted its priority during the spring-summer offensive toward Kostiantynivka, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
Details
As stated, "Russian forces began their 2026 spring-summer offensive with a series of mechanized attacks around Lyman (northeast of Sloviansk), indicating that the Russian military command likely intended to prioritize advancing on Sloviansk from the northeast, but Russian forces subsequently failed to achieve any significant gains in the area."
The Russian military command likely shifted its priority to the seizure of Kostiantynivka after difficulties in advancing toward Sloviansk
Analysts assessed that "Russian forces will likely continue to penetrate Kostiantynivka and consolidate positions in certain areas of the city, but will likely suffer heavy losses in doing so," and are "unlikely to achieve significant operational gains against the 'fortress belt'."
As noted, Russian forces launched the campaign for Kostiantynivka in the summer of 2025 after completing the seizure of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk—settlements to the northeast and southeast of Kostiantynivka, respectively. At the same time, analysts point out that "Russian forces failed to seize Kostiantynivka by May 2026, despite deploying additional reinforcements and mechanized equipment to the area."