Ukrainian forces have secured significant breakthroughs along the Lyman axis in the Donetsk region, according to an operational update delivered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a briefing with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi. The ongoing maneuvers, executed under the designation Operation Vivaldi, form part of a broader defensive and counter-offensive strategy designed to blunt Russian momentum across the eastern theatre.
Strategic Gains on the Lyman Axis and Operation Vivaldi
While military command has withheld specific territorial coordinates to preserve operational security, the presidency confirmed that core strategic objectives for Operation Vivaldi are being met. The wider offensive effort has already yielded measurable results in northern Donetsk. Mid-September reports from the 3rd Army Corps detailed the clearance of 75 square kilometers of territory, alongside the de-occupation of settlements including Shandryholove, Derylove, and full control established over Drobysheve. Subsequent operations by the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade further secured and cleared the village of Serednie without incurring Ukrainian casualties.
Complementing these infantry and mechanized advances, the Airborne Assault Forces (DSHV) have pressed forward with separate active defense operations. President Zelenskyy specifically commended the tenacity of the 3rd Army Corps and the 8th Corps DSHV’s 68th Separate Oleksa Dovbush Airmobile Brigade for their performance over the preceding week.
Attrition Rates and Multi-Sector Pressure
The intensity of the current phase of the war remains severe. Across all active combat sectors, Ukrainian units neutralized 10,660 Russian military personnel—comprising both killed and wounded—within a single week. Every reported casualty total is backed by tactical video confirmation from the front lines.
Heavy engagements are not isolated to the Donetsk theater. The Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions continue to experience some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign. Simultaneously, Ukrainian forces maintain active defensive and tactical tasks across Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts, diffusing Russian operational reserves and preventing concentrated breakthroughs.
Reflecting on the weekly trajectory of the campaign, Zelenskyy emphasized the defensive containment value of these operations. Each week that tilts in favor of Ukraine denies Russian command the bandwidth required to launch a large-scale offensive push. Following the latest high-level consultations, the military leadership has already mapped out subsequent active steps for the defense forces, keeping details under wraps as operational planning moves into its next phase.
The Human and Tactical Cost on the Ground
The steady accumulation of reclaimed ground—such as the recent operations around Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, and the outskirts of Korovyi Yar—illustrates a methodical grinding down of fortified Russian positions.
