Full Breakdown
Ukraine’s Third Army Corps Advances in Operation Vivaldi
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Core Offensive Highlights
On September 20, Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi announced that the Third Army Corps had taken full control of Drobysheve and liberated the settlements of Shandryholove and Derylove in northern Donetsk. The corps reported that the first two “seasons” of Operation Vivaldi have returned 125 sq km to Ukrainian control, including 75 sq km cleared of Russian positions and an additional 10 sq km fully liberated. The latest phase was said to have inflicted about 800 Russian casualties, bringing total reported losses across both seasons to over 3,000 personnel.
Background and Objectives
Operation Vivaldi is a sustained offensive aimed at preventing a Russian pincer attempt to encircle the Donbas strongholds of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and the Druzhkivka-Kostiantynivka urban area. Ukrainian commanders describe the Russian plan as a classic encirclement with a southern thrust through Dobropillia and a northern thrust toward Sviatohirsk and Barvinkove. The corps states that the northern prong has been “defeated and destroyed,” forcing any future Russian effort to rely on costly frontal assaults.
Data and Statistics
- Territory: 125 sq km reclaimed (75 sq km cleared, 10 sq km fully liberated).
- Casualties: ~800 Russian troops killed in the latest phase; total losses >3,000.
- Equipment losses (first season): ~1,500 Russian personnel, 12,000 drones, and “hundreds” of armored vehicles and artillery systems.
- Strike missions: 36,000 UAV strikes reported, expanding a disruption zone from 50 km to 120 km behind the front line.
- Logistics: Repeated strikes on fuel and ammunition depots, communications nodes, command posts and supply convoys belonging to the Russian 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies.
Official Statements & Responses
Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi emphasized that drones and unmanned ground vehicles lead infantry assaults and that the corps pioneered “air-deploying ground robotic systems.” He noted that heavy-bomber drones deliver suicide ground drones more than 10 km into enemy rear areas. The corps credited the success to units such as the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 21st KRAKEN regiment, the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) special unit Artan, and the DOZOR mobile border detachment. Biletskyi indicated that further advances are expected as the operation proceeds into its next “season.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “During assault operations, drones and unmanned ground vehicles always move ahead of the infantry,” — Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi
- “Our operation is called 'Vivaldi.' And as we know, Vivaldi has four seasons. This is only the first of them,” — Brigadier General Andriy Biletskyi
- “The northern pincer has effectively been defeated and destroyed,” — Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi