Road to the kill zone: With Ukrainian troops on the lifeline from Kramatorsk to Kostiantynivka
This April in Donbas, daffodils and tulips are blooming near courtyards destroyed by glide bombs and burned by fires. Gusts of wind push cherry trees to the ground, their petals catching on the white anti-drone nets that drape their branches. Large bumblebees buzz from flower to flower, while another, different humming noise disrupts the scene.
A Russian first-person view (FPV) drone flies along the road from Kostiantynivka to Druzhkivka, looking for its prey, as the optical fiber from earlier drones stretches along the bright green grass. The sharp pops of gunshots ring out, cascading down the road as the drone gets closer.
A loud explosion marks the end of the drone’s journey, as one of the mobile fire groups patrolling the road shoots the hunter down. Here and there, groups of soldiers emerge from their hiding spots in the bushes and continue on their path — either towards or away from the front line.
The road from Kramatorsk to Kostiantynivka is a picture of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2026. Forming the backbone of the so-called “fortress belt” of Donbas, the road connects much of the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast, which Russia has spent 12 years trying to occupy.
Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of the four cities of the “fortress belt,” and, as of spring 2026, the first to be entered by Russian soldiers on its outskirts, with Russian forces reportedly.
A Russian first-person view (FPV) drone flies along the road from Kostiantynivka to Druzhkivka, looking for its prey, as the optical fiber from earlier drones stretches along the bright green grass. The sharp pops of gunshots ring out, cascading down the road as the drone gets closer.
A loud explosion marks the end of the drone’s journey, as one of the mobile fire groups patrolling the road shoots the hunter down. Here and there, groups of soldiers emerge from their hiding spots in the bushes and continue on their path — either towards or away from the front line.
The road from Kramatorsk to Kostiantynivka is a picture of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2026. Forming the backbone of the so-called “fortress belt” of Donbas, the road connects much of the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast, which Russia has spent 12 years trying to occupy.
Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of the four cities of the “fortress belt,” and, as of spring 2026, the first to be entered by Russian soldiers on its outskirts, with Russian forces reportedly.
