Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi Inspires Military Gung-Ho and Battlefield Triumphs

Operation Vivaldi stands out as one of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s most cleanly executed and technologically innovative localized counteroffensives for Ukraine on the Lyman front this year. It is a major, highly coordinated counteroffensive launched by Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, commanded by Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, in the Lyman sector of the Donetsk region.

By coupling effective operational deception – such as using tactical feints to draw Russian reserves away from the actual point of attack – with advanced robotics and strict electronic warfare discipline, the campaign has proven to be one of the more effective localized counteroffensive efforts on that front.

Operation Vivaldi has inflicted heavy and critical losses on the Russian 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies operating in the Lyman sector.

Conducted under strict operational secrecy before its public announcement, the operation is structured metaphorically around four “seasons.” Key elements defining the operation include:

· Territorial Gains & Disruption: Designed to shatter Russian pincer maneuvers in the Donbas—specifically aiming to stop Russian forces from bypassing Kramatorsk—the multi-phased operation has successfully liberated substantial territory (spanning over 170 square kilometers across its initial phases) and recaptured vital tactical hubs and bridgeheads like Nove.

· Advanced Technological Warfare: Operation Vivaldi has drawn significant international military analysis for its pioneering integration of unmanned systems. Notably, it featured groundbreaking “airborne robot assaults” where heavy bomber drones delivered unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) equipped with weaponry deep behind Russian lines (referred to under tactics like the “Griffin” deployment).

· Targeting and Logistics: Beyond robotics, the operation heavily relied on precise intelligence mapping of Russian command nodes, electronic warfare systems, and supply infrastructure—including striking key fuel pipeline arteries that severely crippled Russian drone and logistical units in the sector.

· Personnel Impact: The offensive resulted in the neutralization of thousands of Russian troops and the capture of numerous prisoners of war, heavily straining the 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian forces under the command of the 3rd Army Corps have liberated three more villages in northern Donetsk Oblast as part of the ongoing operation, Brigadier-General Biletskyi said on September 28. The villages of Ridkodub, Nove, and Katerynivka were liberated, while full Ukrainian control was restored over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka.

The latest official update from the offensive operation, which has been covered by strict operational security measures for most of its duration, marks 51 square kilometers newly liberated, bringing the total so far of territory officially retaken to 176 square kilometers.

This phase, described as the “third season” of Operation Vivaldi, inflicted over 2,000 Russian losses and saw over 250 Russian soldiers taken prisoner, according to Biletskyi.

“The idea that ‘Russians don’t surrender’ from movies in practice turned into entire units surrendering in full — including officers, pilots and artillerymen,” the general said. “We hope to exchange them for Ukrainian soldiers currently in captivity in the near future.”

Operation Vivaldi, the corps’ offensive operation around Lyman in northern Donetsk Oblast, was only made public on September 15, although Russian pro-war Telegram channels and independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) researchers on social media had been tracking Ukrainian attacks in the area since late spring 2026.

The operation has sought to eliminate a large Russian salient that had built up over the previous year of fighting, one of two major pincers designed to encircle the remaining Ukrainian presence in the region.

The recent updates bring the officially-reported gains closer to those circulated by OSINT analysts and pro-war Russian Telegram channels, that reported Ukrainian forces pushing all the way east to the Zherebets River.

“One of the most important components of our success was our deception operations,” Biletskyi said, “as a result, the enemy was convinced that the main direction of our attack was the “handryholove–Zelena Dolyna axis.”

"This forced them to pointlessly burn through their reserves in counterattacks in that direction; in reality, the enemy slept through the main strike, which was aimed at capturing Nove.”

The two previous “seasons” of Operation Vivaldi were each announced in similar updates, first on September 15 when the offensive was given its name, and then on September 20, when the liberation of the villages of Shandryholove and Derylove were announced.

The operation is a rare example of offensive success on the Ukrainian side, achieved despite a major disadvantage in manpower and the domination of the drone-based “kill zone” above the front line.

According to the 3rd Corps, success has been enabled by the repression of Russian drone assets and logistics, and the creative use of technology, including ground drones.

In the September 28 update, Biletskyi reported the use of modified Soviet-era armored personnel carriers as “kamikaze” ground drones during the offensive.

As Biletsky noted when describing its multi-movement structure, “Vivaldi, as everyone knows, has four seasons,” signaling that the strategic push is designed for a sustained campaign.

When General Biletsky quipped that “Vivaldi, as everyone knows, has four seasons,” he was leaning into the musical masterpiece by Antonio Vivaldi to describe the sequential, multi-movement design of a single continuous counteroffensive operation in the Lyman sector.

Instead of four distinct campaigns spread out over a year, the operation has been unfolding in rapid, tightly coordinated successive stages back-to-back:

The “Seasons” (Phases): Rather than taking a full year, multiple phases roll out continuously as part of the overarching push. For instance, the first phase served as the shaping and preparatory clearance, the second phase rapidly secured towns like Drobysheve and Shandryholove, and subsequent phases (such as the third stage) swiftly liberated key areas like Nove, Ridkodub, and Katerynivka.

The Musical Motif: Just as a classical concerto moves fluidly through its movements (from allegro to adagio and back), the metaphor highlights how the 3rd Army Corps shifts its tactical tempo, pressure points, and vector of attack while keeping the overarching offensive driving forward.

It is less a prediction of four separate yearly offensives and more a clever nod to a multi-movement military campaign designed to keep the enemy off-balance through its shifting rhythms!

Operation Vivaldi has achieved notable tactical successes on the Lyman front. The operation has yielded significant territory and strategic advantages:

· Territorial Recapture: Across its successive phases, the operation has successfully liberated substantial tracts of land in northern Donetsk Oblast—including key settlements like Nove, Ridkodub, Katerynivka, Shandryholove, and Drobysheve—reclaiming well over 100 square kilometers of territory.

· Disrupting Russian Encirclement Plans: The offensive successfully blunted and thwarted Russian pincer movements designed to threaten key logistical hubs in the region, forcing Russian forces onto the defensive.

· Tactical Innovation & “Drone Overmatch”: Military analysts (such as the Institute for the Study of War) have highlighted how the operation successfully neutralized or suppressed Russian drone capabilities in the sector. This allowed Ukrainian armored vehicles and innovative ground-robot assault units to push directly onto heavy Russian fortifications without sustaining standard drone-attack attrition.

· Personnel and Captives: The operation has resulted in heavy personnel losses for opposing Russian units, including the capture of substantial numbers of Russian prisoners of war (including officers, pilots, and artillerymen), with entire units reportedly surrendering during key breakthroughs.

By coupling effective operational deception—such as using tactical feints to draw Russian reserves away from the actual point of attack—with advanced robotics and strict electronic warfare discipline, the campaign has proven to be one of the more effective localized counteroffensive efforts on that front.

Operation Vivaldi has inflicted heavy and critical losses on the Russian 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies operating in the Lyman sector. Reports from the 3rd Army Corps command (led by Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky) indicate that across the operation's successive phases, the cumulative damage includes:

Personnel Casualties: Total Russian casualties (killed and wounded) from the operation have crossed the 5,000 mark, with roughly 2,000 of those losses occurring during the intense third phase alone.

Mass Surrenders & Prisoners of War: The operation has resulted in over 250 Russian servicemen taken prisoner. Notably, the tactical breakthroughs caused panic and disarray within Russian lines, leading entire groups—including officers, artillerymen, and specialized drone pilots—to completely lose command control and surrender en masse.

Territorial & Structural Defeats: Beyond manpower, the operation stripped Russian forces of 176 square kilometers of strategically vital ground across multiple phases. This included capturing heavily fortified Russian hubs, high ground, and bridgeheads (such as Nove, Ridkodub, Katerynivka, Karpivka, and Novomykhailivka) that Russia had been using to anchor its pincer movements toward Kramatorsk.

Tactical Equipment and Logistical Strain: The integration of automated robotic assaults (UGVs and drone-dropped ground units) severely disrupted Russian electronic warfare positions, command nodes, and supply lines in the sector, leaving enemy units heavily degraded and unable to maintain their planned offensive momentum.

The update from Biletskyi highlights the culmination of the third phase of Operation Vivaldi, which netted major strategic victories in the Lyman sector. Specifically, the 3rd Army Corps liberated the villages of Nove, Ridkodub, and Katerynivka, while also securing Karpivka and Novomykhailivka.

Beyond just the square mileage cleared in this phase alone, bringing the total to a few tactical details stand out from this recent update:

· The Tactical Feint: Biletskyi noted that the success hinged on brilliant operational deception. Russian command became entirely convinced that the main Ukrainian thrust was targeting Shandryholove–Zelena Dolyna, causing them to waste their reserves fruitlessly countering in the wrong sector while missing the actual breakthrough heading toward the critical hub of Nove.

· Mass Surrenders: The sudden collapse of the defensive line caused such disarray among units from Russia's 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies that troops—including officers, artillerymen, and specialized drone operators—began surrendering in groups rather than mounting coordinated defenses. Over 250 total prisoners of war were secured in this phase.

· Robotic Warfare Milestones: This phase heavily showcased the operational use of modified Soviet-era BTR-60s converted into remote-controlled strike platforms, alongside the world-first deployment of heavy bomber drones carrying and dropping armed UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles) deep behind enemy lines.

It stands out as one of the most cleanly executed and technologically innovative localized counteroffensives for Ukraine on that front this year.