STANISLAV POHORILOV — 28 September, 10:49

Captured Russian troops. Photo: screenshot from a video by the 3rd Army Corps

Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, has reported that Russian forces lost 2,000 personnel during the third stage of the Vivaldi military operation, with more than 250 Russian soldiers taken prisoner.

Source: 3rd Army Corps

Quote from Biletskyi: “The enemy lost 2,000 personnel, and more than 250 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner. This is how Vivaldi’s third season ended, marking a turning point in the entire operation.”

Details: Biletskyi said the main objective of the third stage of the operation was Nove, a key Russian hub on the bridgehead. He explained that whoever controls the high ground around the settlement holds the initiative on the bridgehead.

He noted that Russian forces had been convinced that the main axis of the Ukrainian attack was Shandryholove-Zelena Dolyna, prompting them to squander their reserves in counterattacks in that area.

“The Russians slept through the real attack, which was focused on capturing Nove,” he said.

He reported that to break through Russian defences, the 3rd Army Corps used its own innovation: Soviet BTR-60 armoured personnel carriers converted into robotic kamikaze vehicles. They were used to destroy the Russians’ strongest fortifications.

“Russian troops surrendered in entire units, along with their officers, pilots and artillerymen,” the commander of the 3rd Army Corps said.

Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously reported “significant results” by Ukrainian forces on the Lyman front in Donetsk Oblast as part of Operation Vivaldi, as well as successes by the Air Assault Forces group during another active defence operation.

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