Life in frontline towns: Kostiantynivka's struggles amid constant bombardments

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

“The situation varies greatly. We were recently in Kostiantynivka, which is directly behind Chasiv Yar, and there are constant attacks with bombs and everything else. For instance, we filmed a bomb hitting between two five-story buildings. The people there are very angry and don't talk about evacuation; instead, they tend to blame journalists for the attacks and are also irritated by the presence of Ukrainian soldiers. They don't understand that without the Ukrainian military in these towns, there would be not just shelling but immediate executions. So the situation is very different, for example, the attitude of people in Pokrovsk varies significantly depending on the settlement; in Kostiantynivka, this narrative is very widespread,” explained the editor-in-chief of Suspilne Donbas.

Kramchenkov suggests that this viewpoint may have formed among residents either independently or with the help of Russian propaganda.

"People have simply invented this narrative and discuss it in public forums. It’s possible that a Russian episode is being injected, but it seems to me that there’s enough of their own foolishness in their heads besides Russian informational influence. You see, in these front-line towns, without any external influence, amid the stress of war, job problems, rising food prices, and other issues, people are already inclined towards negative thoughts. If Russian disinformation is added to this, it creates a fertile environment for its spread," the media expert concluded.

• Dmytro Zhmailo, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Centre for Security and Cooperation, noted that more than a third of Russia's main efforts are concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction in the Donetsk region.