(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian forces have delivered a major operational blow to Russian plans in the Donbas, clearing 75 square kilometres of territory north of Lyman and severing the northern arm of the Kremlin’s encirclement strategy.
The operation, codenamed Vivaldi, was conducted by Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, led by Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky. Combat footage of the assault, published by Ukrainian military sources, shows Ukrainian troops clearing Russian infiltrators from a salient the Kremlin had intended to use as a launchpad for a pincer movement against the fortress cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
The operation unfolded in several phases. Ukrainian armoured vehicles came under small arms and explosive fire from houses north of Lyman, prompting infantry to dismount and advance in formation. Troops cleared buildings house by house and room by room, checking for Russian soldiers and civilians alike before moving into dense forest.
In the forest, Ukrainian forces used suppressive fire to keep Russian troops pinned in dugouts and hideouts while advancing. Artillery had previously stripped much of the high-level cover from the trees. Drone reconnaissance had clearly mapped the area, allowing Ukrainian troops to approach Russian positions with confidence and call on remaining soldiers to surrender.
The footage shows Russian troops emerging from behind rubble with their hands up. Ukrainian soldiers processed them, conducted tactical interrogations on the front line to locate the next defensive positions, and moved them back to prisoner holding facilities. The contrast with Russian treatment of Ukrainian prisoners, who face torture, beatings and summary execution, was noted by military analysts.
Ukrainian troops were seen recovering intelligence from captured positions, including Russian body armour containing medical packs with instructions. Drone reconnaissance continued to be used before each advance. Helmet camera footage captured close quarters trench combat, with Ukrainian soldiers clearing overhead cover where Russian troops had been living, some for weeks or months.
Command and control was maintained throughout, with soldiers using radios and drones to coordinate across complex terrain. Prisoners were moved back and immediately questioned, allowing Ukrainian patrols to approach subsequent positions with caution, avoiding booby traps, minefields and barbed wire.
Light tactical vehicles were used to move troops rapidly between positions, balancing speed, manoeuvrability and firepower. Frontline medics treated a wounded Ukrainian soldier, stabilising him before evacuation to a dressing station and then a field hospital.
The strategic impact has been significant. For months, Russian generals had attempted to encircle Ukraine’s fortress belt, including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka, through a double pincer attack from the south and north. The northern pincer has now collapsed.
Ukrainian drone operators targeted Russian logistics up to 120 kilometres deep, destroying fuel tankers and supply depots and forcing Russian fuel storage back into Russia’s Voronezh Oblast. Without fuel and supplies, Russian troops could not hold their ground.
Brigadier General Biletsky noted that Operation Vivaldi has four seasons, and this was only the first movement.
Footage of the combat operations was published by the Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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