LUGANSK, April 9. /TASS/. Over the past day, Russian troops have strengthened their tactical positions near Ilyinovka and Novodmitrovka, close to Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, despite strong resistance from Ukrainian forces, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

"As for the Konstantinovka sector, active combat operations continue in Konstantinovka itself. There have also been minor improvements east of Ilyinovka and south of Novodmitrovka. Overall, I can say that our troops, despite fierce enemy resistance, continue to fight very heavy battles in the area, with our forces achieving successes there almost daily," he said.

On April 6, Igor Kimakovsky, an adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, reported that Russian military drones had taken control of enemy supply lines around Konstantinovka during the encirclement of the town.