The Russian Ministry of Defense has published a video in which, according to the agency, troops are demining a road in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. However, OSINT researcher Bielitz, having analyzed the footage on the X social network, pointed out that at least two segments of the video were filmed not in Kostiantynivka, but in occupied Toretsk and Pivnichne. Thus, the key message of the propaganda material—a demonstration of a "liberated" and demined city—does not correspond to the geography of the filming.
What exactly was shown in the video
The footage, which the Russian MoD labeled as the demining of Kostiantynivka, shows servicemen in camouflage: one of them is working with a handheld metal detector with a round search coil, while another is crouching and digging into the ground with hand tools. According to OSINT researcher Bielitz, part of these scenes was recorded in Toretsk and Pivnichne, and not in the city that the agency passed off as Kostiantynivka. This means that the video is a compilation and does not confirm the existence of demining in Kostiantynivka itself.
Geography and the disputed status of the city
According to the research data, Toretsk and Pivnichne are located approximately 19 and 21 kilometers from the center of Kostiantynivka. Russia claimed full capture of Kostiantynivka back in July, but according to available information, fighting for the city continues to this day. It is this discrepancy between the declared "control" and the actual picture of hostilities that makes the Ministry of Defense publication especially vulnerable to verification: the agency demonstrates demining as a sign of stable control, while the real situation in the city remains unstable.
Chronology of Moscow's statements
Back on November 10, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian troops were demining a road in "liberated Kostiantynivka." On November 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed conducting a humanitarian mission in the city based on the model of the operation in Oleshky, Kherson region, stating that it would take about five days to demine the approaches to the city. At the same time, he claimed that Kostiantynivka is under Russian control and proposed that Ukraine ensure the safety of the mission on its side "if Kyiv believes the city is under its control."
Kyiv's reaction and expert assessment
In Kyiv, Moscow's initiative is viewed with skepticism. Advisor to the President of Ukraine Dmytro Lytvyn stated that the Russian Federation might propose a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka in order to rotate its military, as it did in Oleshky. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, in turn, reported that Ukraine is considering the possibility of conducting new humanitarian missions in temporarily occupied territories. Against this background, the Ministry of Defense's publication with "demining of Kostiantynivka," actually filmed in other settlements, looks like an attempt to create an impression of complete control over the city for the audience and prepare the ground for the declared humanitarian operation.
