Zelensky reports "positive" momentum on Lyman axis as Ukraine's Vivaldi offensive continues
President Volodymyr Zelensky said there are positive developments on the Lyman direction in Donetsk Oblast, while declining to disclose further details until the Ukrainian counter-offensive codenamed "Vivaldi" is completed. The 3rd Army Corps has reported territorial gains and the withdrawal of Russia's elite Rubicon drone unit from the axis.
Key points
- Zelensky said there is "positive" momentum on the Lyman direction during an online conversation with journalists, while the operation remains ongoing.
- The Ukrainian counter-offensive near Lyman in northern Donetsk region is named "Vivaldi" and is led by the 3rd Army Corps under commander Andriy Biletsky.
- During the first stage of Vivaldi, Ukrainian forces cleared 75 sq km and de-occupied an additional 10 sq km; a second stage added a further 40 sq km with the liberation of Shandryholove, Derylove, and Drobysheve, bringing the total to about 125 sq km.
- On September 18, the 3rd Army Corps reported the withdrawal of Russia's elite Rubicon drone unit from the Lyman-Borova direction due to significant losses.
- The Institute for the Study of War said on September 16 that Vivaldi achieved an operationally significant goal by disrupting Russian attempts to encircle Ukraine's "belt of fortresses" in Donbas.
- Ukrainian figures on Russian personnel losses on the axis differ across stages: roughly 1,500 in the initial phase per Defense Forces, rising to 3,000 per the 3rd Army Corps.
Why it matters
Zelensky's cautious but positive framing points to an ongoing Ukrainian operational advance on a heavily contested axis in Donetsk Oblast. Independent analysis from the Institute for the Study of War credits the operation with disrupting Russian plans to encircle Ukrainian defensive positions in Donbas, and the reported withdrawal of Russia's Rubicon drone unit suggests meaningful losses in a specialised Russian capability on this front.
What happened
On September 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists in an online conversation that there are positive developments on the Lyman direction, while emphasising he would speak carefully until the operation is completed. He thanked Ukrainian defenders and did not disclose the next strategic objective.
The operation in question is a Ukrainian counter-offensive in northern Donetsk region, east and northeast of Lyman, codenamed "Vivaldi" and led by the 3rd Army Corps under commander Andriy Biletsky. The Armed Forces first officially acknowledged combat operations in this area on September 15, when Biletsky publicly confirmed the offensive. During its first stage, Ukrainian forces cleared 75 sq km and de-occupied a further 10 sq km, liberating Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, the outskirts of Koroviy Yar, and Serednie. A second stage added 40 sq km through the de-occupation of Shandryholove, Derylove and full control over Drobysheve, bringing the total cleared to about 125 sq km. On September 18, the 3rd Army Corps said Russia's elite Rubicon drone unit had been pulled from the Lyman-Borova direction because of significant losses, and an intelligence officer from the corps explained the withdrawal in a September 22 interview with Radio NV.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five sources covering the story are Ukrainian. They centre Zelensky's remarks, highlighting positive momentum on the Lyman direction, gratitude to defenders, and the need for caution until the operation concludes. Ukrainian reporting also foregrounds the named operation (Vivaldi), the role of the 3rd Army Corps and its commander Andriy Biletsky, and presents concrete figures on liberated territory and reported enemy losses as markers of progress.
Where reporting differs
Reported Russian personnel losses on the Lyman direction differ across stages of the operation. Ukrainian Defense Forces cited roughly 1,500 servicemen lost in the initial phase, while the 3rd Army Corps later stated losses had grown to 3,000 personnel.
Background
On August 26, Zelensky announced that Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast would be reinforced by two renewed force groupings led by Denys Prokopenko and Andriy Biletsky. On September 15, the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued their first official statement about combat operations in northern Donetsk region around Lyman, with 3rd Army Corps commander Biletsky publicly confirming the offensive. The following day, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War assessed that the operation had achieved an operationally significant goal by disrupting Russian attempts to encircle Ukraine's "belt of fortresses" in Donbas. On September 18, the 3rd Army Corps reported the withdrawal of the elite Russian Rubicon drone unit from the Lyman-Borova direction due to significant losses.