Ukraine’s Vivaldi Counteroffensive Reclaims 176 sq km in Donetsk

In the latest phase of the Vivaldi counteroffensive, Ukraine’s Third Army Corps reported the recapture of 51 square kilometres of territory, bringing the total area reclaimed during the operation to 176 square kilometres. The advances were achieved against Russian forces attempting a pincer movement aimed at seizing Lyman, a key defensive hub in northern Donetsk.

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Lyman’s position on the “fortress belt” has long constrained Russian advances. Ukrainian planners integrated drones, armor, artillery and infantry to blunt the Russian push toward the Siverskyi Donets River and protect logistical lines. Unmanned systems played a prominent role: tiny ground robots were air-dropped behind enemy positions, and Soviet-era BTR-60 armored vehicles were converted into explosive-laden “kamikaze” robots to breach fortified points.

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Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine’s State National Institute for Strategic Studies and senior analyst at the Come Back Alive Initiatives Center NGO, explained that Russian forces had approached the Siverskyi Donets River, and that holding Lyman would have become significantly harder had they advanced further. Ukrainian officials view the operation as a signal to allies—particularly the Trump administration—that Russian advances in Donetsk are not inevitable and that President Vladimir Putin cannot simply wait for Ukrainian defenses and Western resolve to collapse.

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• “Russian forces had advanced right up to the Siverskyi Donets River, and holding Lyman as the primary defensive hub for the northern Donetsk region would have become significantly harder had they advanced further,” — Mykola Bielieskov — Mykola Bielieskov

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