Donetsk: Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi has retaken 175 sq km around Lyman, while Russian sources say an assault on Sloviansk is receding

Ukraine’s counteroffensive named “Operation Vivaldi” has reclaimed about 175 square kilometres (67 square miles) around Lyman in the Donetsk region, according to a detailed report by Al Jazeera. The operation began in late September and, as the first reports of a Russian retreat showed, it is putting pressure on Russia’s 20th and 25th armies.

Even Russian channels acknowledge the shift. The Kremlin-aligned Rybar wrote on Telegram that “it is becoming increasingly clear that the possibility of storming the urban area [of Sloviansk] is receding into the more distant future.” According to the same channel, the Russian side’s “premature statements” about capturing villages before Russian units had reached them helped the Ukrainians to accumulate forces and counterattack: “Some villages were declared liberated even before Russian units arrived, which allowed the enemy to accumulate forces there and launch counterattacks.”

The battle for Kryva Luka

A key battle appears to be building for the village of Kryva Luka, east of Sloviansk. It sits on high ground on the right bank of the Siversky Donets River, which Russia holds, and could serve as a base for counterattacks further east. Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters that Operation Vivaldi was successful but incomplete. Ukraine had built up reserves in the Lyman area before launching the counteroffensive, and that preparation appears to be paying off.

What the Third Army Corps says

Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, which is conducting the operation, published a video on the role of its artillery. It says it assembled one of the largest artillery groupings among the army corps, with so many systems per kilometre of front that fire can continue even if some guns are knocked out. The corps says its 52nd Artillery Brigade kept the villages of Rydkodub, Zelena Dolyna and Kolodiazi under fire, isolating Russian positions from reserves and ammunition.

According to the corps, HIMARS of the 45th Artillery Brigade struck more than 20 Russian guns, two Buk air-defence systems and two of their transporter-loaders, as well as command posts at battalion level and above. These are Ukrainian claims.

Casualties

Ukraine claims that Russian casualties in September reached 46,230, a 2026 record. The Institute for the Study of War estimates that Russia actually lost 80 square kilometres that month, in contrast to Vladimir Putin, who spoke of gains of 1,300 square kilometres. Meanwhile, the independent Russian outlet Mediazona has identified 20 officers killed in the August 26 Storm Shadow strike on the headquarters of the 41st Army in Donetsk.