Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russian forces have taken control of Konstantinovka, calling it the first stage of a broader offensive in eastern Ukraine. He said the capture opens the route to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, warned Russia could expand its "security zone" if attacks continue, and ordered continued strikes on Ukraine's military-industrial infrastructure.
#Putin #RussiaUkraineWar #Ukraine #Russia #Konstantinovka #Kostyantynivka #Donetsk
00:00 Putin Opens Military Briefing
00:52 Putin Claims Control Of Konstantinovka
02:04 Russian Commander Gives Frontline Update
03:30 Repo...
What Vladimir Putin said
Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.
Putin reported positive momentum and an accelerating offensive by Russian forces along the entire front line. He said troops from the Vostok and Neper groups are advancing in the Zaporozhye region, and the liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic continues. He highlighted the capture of Konstantinovka in June, calling it the first important stage in destroying Ukrainian units holding the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk fortified area. He noted that with Konstantinovka taken, the line should now be called the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk line. He praised the Third Army under General Kuzmenko, which advanced 22 km from Seversk and is 8 km from Sloviansk. Putin said the more strikes the enemy attempts on civilian targets, the larger the security zone Russia will create on adjacent territory, which he called historically Russian land. He accused the Kiev regime and European 'imaginary peacemakers' of wanting to continue the war, citing a June 7, 2026 EU statement welcoming unmanned technologies. He ordered continued massive strikes on Ukraine's military-industrial infrastructure and analysis of each instigator's involvement for future decisions.
Key takeaways
Russian forces captured Konstantinovka in June, opening a path toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and the line is now called the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk line.
The Third Army advanced 22 km from Seversk and is 8 km from Sloviansk.
Putin said the more strikes the enemy attempts on civilian targets, the larger the security zone Russia will create on adjacent territory, which he called historically Russian land.
Putin accused European 'imaginary peacemakers' of wanting to continue the war, citing a June 7, 2026 EU statement welcoming unmanned technologies.
I would like to note positive momentum in the actions of our troops and the increasing pace of the offensive by Russian armed forces units and formations along the entire front line. I see this in your reports and in the reports of other commanders on a daily basis. In recent months, security zones in our border territories with Ukraine have been significantly expanded. Troops from the Vostok and Neper groups are advancing at a high pace in the Zaporozhye region and the liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic continues. And as you reported, the troops of the southern and center groupings continue to move westward inflicting defeat on the enemy. In June, units of the armed forces of Ukraine were driven out of six settlements including Russian control has been established over the city of Konstantinovka. I want to note that the capture of Konstantinovka is only the first, but a very important stage in destroying the armed forces of Ukraine units currently holding the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka fortified area. As you said, where the enemy has built a deep echelon system of fortifications turning the cities of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, and Konstantinovka into a single defensive hub. But with the capture of Konstantinovka, I understand we should no longer speak of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka line, but simply of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk line. Well, I am also including the small, yet fortified settlement of Druzhkovka. Sergei Viktorovich, is that how we should understand it? And what is the situation now? What is the situation now in Konstantinovka? And how is the situation developing in the area of responsibility of the Southern Grouping as a whole? Please, go ahead.
The Southern Group of Forces continues to carry out tasks in the Seversk direction in accordance with the plan of the special military operation. The offensive of the formations and military units of the group is being conducted along the entire line of contact on the wide front. Last December, comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, we already reported to you the capture of the settlement of Seversk in the Slavyansk direction. As of today, the Third Army formation continues to conduct offensive operations. We have liberated 23 settlements, including four taken in the month of June. These are settlements such as Raya, Alexandrovka, Piskunovka, Yurkovka, and Malinovka.
Putin, V. (2026, July 4). 'It's Only The First...': Putin Makes Major Claims On Ukraine, Reveals What's Coming Next [Interview transcript]. Hook Global. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063091/
MLA
Vladimir Putin. "'It's Only The First...': Putin Makes Major Claims On Ukraine, Reveals What's Coming Next." Hook Global, 4 Jul. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063091/.
BibTeX
@misc{putin2026_1063091,
author = {Vladimir Putin},
title = {'It's Only The First...': Putin Makes Major Claims On Ukraine, Reveals What's Coming Next},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Hook Global. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2026},
month = {jul},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063091/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
