14.10.2026
During the fourth phase of Operation Vivaldi in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops liberated Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodyazy and regained control of about 101 sq. km of territory. A complete information silence played an important role in the advance, which helped disorient the Russian command.
The details of the operation and its results
were revealed by the Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on its Telegram channel. The military published a video explaining the tactics of the offensive and the key factors of its success.
Ukrainian groups advanced through forest belts, bypassing Russian defense nodes. At the same time, using unmanned systems, they created special areas to defeat the enemy in the isolation area.
Aiming at the Russian occupier before defeat. Source: Screenshot
Ukrainian drones attack the enemy. Source: Screenshot
In just one such area measuring 100 by 100 meters, more than 250 Russian occupiers were destroyed , the Third Army Corps reported. Drone operators nicknamed such places “zhmuryatnya.”
Despite significant losses, the Russians continued to arrive in these areas, repeating the path of previous assault groups.
Operation Vivaldi: defeat of the Russian occupiers. Source: Screenshot
Why the information silence was important
The Third Army Corps noted that not only firepower, but also complete information silence played an important role in the success of the operation.
At the same time, in the Russian army, according to the Ukrainian military, information about the situation on the front was distorted during transmission from company commanders to battalion and regiment commanders. Because of this, the Russian command did not have an objective picture of what was happening on the battlefield.
Who did Russia throw into battle after its reserves were exhausted?
When the Russian army’s regular reserves ran out, the command began sending troops whose normal tasks did not involve participating in such battles to storm the front. According to the Third Army Corps, these included riggers, electronic warfare (EW) crews, and tankers.
Later, wounded Russian soldiers and foreign mercenaries were involved in the assaults. As noted in the corps, the occupiers surrendered en masse and retreated chaotically, which allowed Ukrainian units to advance.
Injured Russian occupiers captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Source: Screenshot
What results were achieved in the four stages?
During the four phases of Operation Vivaldi, the Defense Forces liberated 277 sq. km of territory. The Third Army Corps also reported the following results:
- About 68 thousand enemy drones were destroyed.
- Over 3,800 units of Russian equipment were hit.
- About 8,000 Russian soldiers were lost.
- Over 3,300 tons of cargo were delivered to the front lines by ground robotic complexes.
According to the corps, robotic complexes provided almost 80% of the infantry’s logistical transportation needs.
The Third Army Corps noted that now Russian troops on the way to the so-called belt of fortresses will have to storm Ukrainian positions head-on. According to the military, this will allow reducing the losses of the Defense Forces and increasing the losses of the enemy.
The corps emphasizes that Operation Vivaldi demonstrated the effectiveness of asymmetric solutions: they make it possible to return territories with fewer forces, inflict significant losses on the enemy, and at the same time protect the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that, according to the commander of the Third Army Corps, Andriy Biletsky, Operation Vivaldi helped thwart the offensive of the Russian group “West” and ease the pressure on Kupyansk-Vuzlovy. The Ukrainian military also prevented the enemy from bypassing the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration from the flanks and cutting the Kharkiv-Slavyansk highway, which is of important logistical importance for Ukrainian forces in Donbas.
In total, during the operation, the Defense Forces returned 16 settlements to full Ukrainian control. Nine of them were de-occupied, and in seven more, Russian infiltration was eliminated and the territory was cleared of occupiers.
“In just one such area measuring 100 by 100 meters, more than 250 Russian occupiers were destroyed”
Great!
That’s a high level of fertilizing for a single small field.