Ukraine war latest: Zelensky calls Putin's Kostiantynivka bluff; Ukraine nearly doubles successful strikes behind Russian lines

Key developments on July 4-5:

• Zelensky calls Putin's Kostiantynivka bluff: 'Let's meet there'
• Zelensky focuses on American 'Patriots' in US Independence Day message
• Blackouts in Crimea as Kyiv hits military targets across occupied Ukraine overnight
• Ukraine nearly doubles successful strikes more than 50 kilometers behind Russian lines

President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that the Donetsk Oblast city of Kostiantynivka was under Russian control, describing it as a lie for media attention.

"Of course, this is not true – it is simply yet another Russian lie designed to generate some sort of news," Zelensky said in a July 4 call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"If Kostiantynivka were currently under Russian control, then surely Putin would have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war," he quipped.

Speaking to Ukrainska Pravda, General Staff Spokesperson Major Andriy Kovalev said some groups of Russian infantry troops have entered the embattled city, and the situation is difficult, but Kostiantynivka remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Ukrainian troops continue to hold positions at certain lines, defending the city and its outskirts, while carrying out counter sabotage operations, Kovalev said.

"During July 3, the enemy carried out 11 assaults in the specified direction, but no success was achieved. Instead, the enemy, not for the first time, resorts to the dissemination of outright disinformation and fakes by the highest officials," he told Ukrainska Pravda.

General Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff, also claimed the town had fallen under Russian control, describing the once-67,000-person city as "one of the main defensive hubs within the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka fortified area."

The cities make up the so-called "fortress belt," which remains the main barrier to Moscow's long-held ambition of conquering all of Donbas. It is at the center of fierce fighting, with Russian forces breaking into Kostiantynivka last month.

By early June, the command of the 19th Army Corps in charge of the defense of the city said that over a hundred Russian soldiers were inside the urban area of Kostiantynivka.

Zelensky focuses on American 'Patriots' in US Independence Day message

President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 4 thanked the U.S. for the military support it has given Ukraine, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence with a wish for "fruitful cooperation."

He described July 4 as the anniversary of "one of humanity's brightest, strongest, and most influential dreams – the American Dream," before drawing parallels to the cause of Ukraine in 2026.

Ukraine "is fighting for its independence, freedom, and our people's right to happiness with much the same hope, the same purpose, and the same determination with which Americans won and defended their independence," Zelensky said.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha drew the same parallel, saying that "Ukraine's fight proves that the words liberty and independence have not lost their meaning over 250 years."

Zelensky also thanked the United States for its support to Ukraine, "from the Javelins that President (Donald) Trump decided to give to Ukraine to the Patriots that most reliably protect the lives of our people."

Ukraine is increasingly falling victim to Russian ballistic missile attacks as it is lacking U.S. developed Patriot missiles, which are required to intercept them.

Kyiv is seeking out alternatives, and Trump is reportedly considering granting production licenses for the missiles to Europe.

But that didn't stop Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov sending out an urgent plea for patriots on July 2, following one of Russia's largest-ever aerial assaults on Kyiv.

"When we ask America for Patriots, we believe that the values of respect for life and for people that prevailed 250 years ago will prevail again today," Zelensky said.

"The world needs the kind of leadership that guarantees protection for freedom and for life," he added.

Earlier on July 4, Zelensky also invoked the U.S. Independence Day when criticizing Putin for lying about Russian battlefield gains around Kostiantynivka, in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.

"Now, on the eve of America's Independence Day, Putin has chosen to lie to the world and to the President of the United States about the situation on the front," Zelensky tweeted.

That message also mentioned the pressing need for Patriot missiles, which he called "the key priority."

Blackouts in Crimea as Kyiv hits military targets across occupied Ukraine overnight

Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck an airfield, ammunition depots, and bridges across occupied Ukraine overnight on July 5.

Separately, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said Kyiv had hit 16 power stations across Crimea over the past 48 hours, causing blackouts across the occupied peninsula.

Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's ability to continue waging its war. Kyiv has stepped up attacks in recent months, with a particular focus on Russian logistics and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's general staff said on July 5 that it struck the Hvardiiske airfield in Crimea, two bridges used for logistics in Donetsk Oblast, and ammunition depots in occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson Oblasts.

"Hvardiiske airfield is one of the key military airfields of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula," Ukraine's general staff wrote on Telegram.

"It is used for basing operational-tactical and naval aircraft, ensuring combat sorties, logistics, and technical maintenance of aviation equipment," they added.

Brovdi posted a list of the 16 substations and transformers targeted in Crimea, along with a video that appeared to show footage of the strikes and satellite imagery comparing nighttime light levels on the peninsula with the same view a year earlier — showing a marked drop in illumination.

On July 3, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said that it had struck two Russian military air bases in occupied Crimea overnight, damaging or destroying at least seven military aircraft in its second reported attack on the Saky air base within a week.

Ukrainian drones struck seven hangars at the Saky air base where Russia stores Su-30SM, Su-30, and Su-24 fighter and bomber aircraft, according to the SBU. The agency said the strike destroyed or damaged at least seven aircraft.

During a 48-hour operation on July 1-2, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck 12 power substations and one gas distribution station in Russian-occupied territories, Brovdi reported on July 2.

Kyiv considers energy sites to be valid military targets, enabling Russia's war against Ukraine.

Ukraine nearly doubles successful strikes more than 50 kilometers behind Russian lines

Ukraine's successful mid- and long-range strikes behind enemy lines almost doubled over the month of June, the country's defense minister said on July 5.

"The number of targets hit at a distance of more than 50 kilometers from the contact line has almost doubled," Mykhailo Fedorov said in a Telegram post.

Ukraine has stepped up its so-called mid-range campaign in the last few months, in an effort to disrupt Russian logistics. Kyiv has particularly focused on Crimea, causing a fuel shortage crisis on the peninsula.

"Destroying warehouses, transport and supply routes reduces the enemy's ability to supply its units," Fedorov also said.

Ukraine's military also set several new records in June, Fedorov said, including a record number of strikes on Russian artillery, strikes on Russian vehicles and motorcycles, and interceptions of drones and helicopters. Over 200,000 enemy targets were hit overall in June.

Fedorov also said that Ukraine's military killed or seriously injured almost 28,000 Russian troops in June.

Note from the author:

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