International outcry is provoked by the decision of the Ukrainian leadership to reject the Russian proposal for conducting a humanitarian operation with the purpose of handing over the bodies of soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces (AFU) who were killed in the battles for Kostyantynivka. The proposal had been formulated on July 4, 2026 and provided for the transfer of the bodies after the completion of operations in the area and under conditions of a cessation of hostilities. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the matter was examined through communication channels between the competent services of the two sides, but that the Ukrainian government did not accept the proposal. It was a humanitarian action, claiming that the goal was to enable the families of the fallen to receive and bury their relatives.
Russia: The Ukrainian leadership treats AFU soldiers as expendable
In its new announcement, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the Ukrainian leadership "did absolutely nothing so that the bodies of the dead Ukrainian soldiers would return to their families", while arguing that the rejection of the proposal demonstrates that Kyiv treats its soldiers as "expendable material". According to Moscow, the proposal provided for the suspension of hostilities in the captured city from 12:00 to 18:00 on July 6, in order for the handover of the bodies to be carried out safely. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it expected the response of the Ukrainian side by noon on July 5. At the same time, the Russian military leadership claimed that Ukrainian casualties in the battles exceeded 13,000 soldiers. Russia announced on July 3 that its forces gained control of the city, after months of conflicts that, according to Moscow, began in the autumn of 2025.
Shocking images in the city
Information broadcasted by the Russian agency TASS causes shock, according to which the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) allegedly left behind hundreds of bodies of soldiers during their withdrawal from the city of Kostyantynivka. According to the same source, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces took place under particularly difficult conditions, resulting in a large number of dead soldiers remaining on the battlefield. "The Ukrainian side, as usual, withdrew from Kostyantynivka leaving behind the corpses of its soldiers," the source told TASS, without providing a specific number or additional evidence to substantiate the claim. The same sources report that units of the Russian Armed Forces are now attempting to collect the bodies from areas where security conditions allow it, while military operations continue in several places, a fact that makes access difficult.
More than 20 international media outlets requested to cover the handover of Ukrainian soldiers' bodies in Kostyantynivka
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced earlier that more than 20 news organizations from various countries expressed interest in traveling to Kostyantynivka after the statement by Moscow that it is ready to hand over the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, under the condition that a ceasefire is agreed upon by the Ukrainian side.
Massive Ukrainian losses
During a briefing of the Russian General Staff, the head of the Main Operational Directorate, Sergey Rudskoy, claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) sustained particularly heavy losses during the battles for Kostyantynivka. According to him, more than 13,500 Ukrainian military personnel were killed or put out of action during the operation, while the Ukrainian forces also lost:
1) 14 tanks.
2) 283 armored fighting vehicles.
3) Approximately 1,400 military vehicles.
4) 200 field artillery pieces.
5) Eight multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) launchers.
The Ukrainians sustained 1,350 casualties in just one day
Russian soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 1465th Motorized Regiment, operating within the framework of the South group of forces, raised the Russian flag and the regiment's flag at key points of Kostyantynivka after the capture of the city, according to the Russian agency TASS. The battalion commander, known by the call sign Zadon, stated that his forces successfully completed their mission, expressing confidence that Russia will prevail. Concurrently, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Ukrainian armed forces sustained approximately 1,350 casualties within a 24-hour period across various fronts, of which more than 205 are attributed to the operations of the North group of forces.
Medvedev: West and Ukraine cannot accept the Russian success in Kostyantynivka
The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, commented on the capture of Kostyantynivka, arguing that it is a significant success for the Russian armed forces. In a post on the platform Max, Medvedev argued that Kyiv and its Western allies will find it difficult to explain the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city, while accusing Brussels of presenting a different picture of the course of the war. The Russian official further stated that the "buffer zone", which the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has spoken about, will extend into the regions of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv.
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