According to Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, Ukrainian forces liberated Shandryholove and Derylove and established full control over Drobysheve during the operation’s second phase. The announcement was made on September 20.
The Third Army Corps said that its units and attached forces have brought a total of 125 square kilometers under Ukrainian control during the first two phases of Operation Vivaldi. Of this area, 50 square kilometers were previously under russian occupation and have since been liberated, according to the corps.
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The corps also reported that around 800 russian personnel were killed during the second phase. According to its assessment, russian personnel losses during the first two phases of the operation have exceeded 3,000. These figures are Ukrainian military estimates and have not been independently verified.
The Third Army Corps says Operation Vivaldi is being conducted against elements of russia’s 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies and the 1st Guards Tank Army. Biletskyi said the operation is intended to improve Ukraine’s positions. Earlier, he described securing more favorable defensive positions as the operation’s main objective.
Ukrainian forces have made extensive use of unmanned systems during the operation. According to Biletskyi, UAVs and ground robotic systems move ahead of infantry during assault operations, while artillery and unmanned systems target russian command posts, communications hubs, logistics facilities, crossings, and reserves.
“During assault operations, drones and ground robotic systems always move ahead of the infantry. The Third Army Corps was the first in the world to begin deploying ground robotic systems by air. Our heavy bombers deliver kamikaze ground robotic systems more than 10 kilometers behind enemy lines,” Biletskyi said.
The corps said its air defense and electronic warfare units also operated as part of the offensive, while Ukrainian forces consolidated their positions on the newly regained ground.
According to the statement, the success of the second phase was achieved by personnel from the 60th Mechanized Brigade, 125th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, the 3rd Assault Brigade’s battalion tactical group, the 21st Separate Special Operations Battalion KRAKEN, the 3rd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, and the corps’s 25th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion, as well as attached units, including the 66th Mechanized Brigade, the 85th Tank Group of the 8th Special Operations Regiment, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine’s special unit Artan, and the 10th Mobile Border Guard Detachment Dozor.
Operation Vivaldi
The Third Army Corps publicly revealed Operation Vivaldi on September 15, after conducting its initial phase under an information blackout.
During the first phase, the corps said its forces cleared 75 square kilometers of russian infiltration and liberated another 10 square kilometers. Ukrainian forces also liberated Serednie and cleared russian troops from Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, and the outskirts of Korovyi Yar.
The operation is named after Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. When Biletskyi first announced the operation, he said its first phase was only the first of four “seasons.”
The operation is continuing, with the Third Army Corps indicating that further developments will be announced as the offensive progresses.
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