Ukraine’s Third Army Corps says Operation Vivaldi regained 277 square kilometers and 16 settlements by Oct. 14; ISW assessed that it defeated the northern arm of Russia’s planned encirclement.
The fighting took place in the Lyman sector of Donetsk Oblast, north of the Ukrainian-held Sloviansk-Kramatorsk area. Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletskyi said the corps aimed to block a Russian flanking move and protect the Kharkiv-Sloviansk highway, a key logistics route. He said the operation forced a redeployment that eased pressure near Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi.
The corps said its fourth phase, announced Oct. 14, added 101 square kilometers and three settlements: Zelena Dolyna, Lypove and Kolodiazi. Across the four phases, it reported a total of 277 square kilometers and 16 settlements. The corps also claimed 8,000 Russian personnel losses, a figure that has not been independently verified.
The Kyiv Independent reported that commanders described a spring start as part of an effort to improve Ukrainian defensive positions before winter. Its account described small infantry teams moving behind Russian lines with drone support and advancing through mined villages. Battalion commander Sergii Galchenko, callsign “Psycho,” told the outlet, “The enemy couldn’t figure out where we were.”
The Kyiv Independent reported that Galchenko said antipersonnel mines caused 80% of Ukrainian casualties; he did not disclose the total. The outlet said the fight for Shandryholove lasted more than a month and measured the village at 0.17 square kilometers.
DeepState separately reported Ukrainian gains near Stavky and Shandryholove, as well as the retaking of Zelena Dolyna, Lypove and Kolodiazi. Its cited post gave no overall area total for those gains.
The corps described Vivaldi’s four seasons as complete, while its Oct. 15 update said fighting continued.
