The situation 1565 – July 4, 2026

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin used a staged meeting with several Russian commanders on July 3 to make greatly exaggerated claims of Russian advances that do not match battlefield realities in order to construct a narrative of continuous Russian military successes.
2. Putin and other Russian military commanders heavily aggrandized the claimed seizure of Kostyantynivka on July 3 and 4.
3. The Russian MoD and other Russian sources are publishing large quantities of footage that may be AI-altered to falsely confirm Russian exaggerated claims and complicate individual footage verification.
4. Putin used the July 3 meeting with Russian commanders to signal his commitment to continuing the war in Ukraine as he has been.
5. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces advanced on July 4.
6. Ukrainian forces continued their long-range strike campaign against Russian oil and energy infrastructure and military assets in Russia on July 4. Russian forces launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile, one Kh-59 guided missile, and 86 drones against Ukraine overnight.

The full update of the Russian offensive 1565 is available on UNDERSTANDING WAR.