Ukraine's Third Army Corps completes fourth stage of Operation 'Vivaldi' on Lyman direction
Ukraine's Third Army Corps announced on 14 October the completion of the fourth stage of Operation 'Vivaldi' on the Lyman direction in Donetsk Oblast, reporting the return of 101 square kilometres of land and three settlements — Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodyazi — to Ukrainian control. Commander Brigadier General Andrii Biletsky estimated Russian losses at about 3,000 personnel during this stage and roughly 8,000 across all four stages of the operation, which he said has now liberated 16 settlements and 277 km² in total.
Key points
- Third Army Corps announced completion of the fourth stage of Operation 'Vivaldi' on 14 October on the Lyman direction in Donetsk Oblast.
- Three villages returned during the fourth stage: Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodyazi.
- Ukrainian forces regained 101 km² of territory during the fourth stage.
- Russian losses during the fourth stage are reported at about 3,000 personnel.
- Across all four stages, Ukrainian forces have returned 16 settlements and 277 km² under full control.
- Biletsky estimates Russian losses across the entire operation at roughly 8,000 personnel.
- DeepState analysts separately reported 88.17 km² cleared on the Lyman direction during this stage.
Why it matters
The Fourth Corps's announcement adds 101 km² and three more settlements to Ukrainian-controlled territory in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast, bringing cumulative gains across all four stages of 'Vivaldi' to 277 km² and 16 settlements according to official figures. Biletsky presents the operation as evidence that rapid, asymmetric offensive action can succeed against larger Russian forces, and claims it blocked Russian attempts to outflank the Sloviansko-Kramatorsk agglomeration and to cut the Kharkiv-Sloviansk highway, while forcing the redeployment of parts of the Russian 1st Tank Army away from Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi.
What happened
On 14 October, Ukraine's Third Army Corps announced the completion of the fourth stage of Operation 'Vivaldi' on the Lyman direction in Donetsk Oblast. Commander Brigadier General Andrii Biletsky reported that Ukrainian forces had liberated three settlements — Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodyazi — and returned 101 km² of territory under Ukrainian control during this stage. Russian losses during the fourth stage were reported at about 3,000 personnel. Biletsky stated that the operation began by eliminating Russian infiltration and escalated into a rapid large-scale offensive, with Ukrainian speed and asymmetric action identified as the key factors that prevented Russian forces from regaining command and control or establishing a firm defence. He claimed the operation thwarted Russian attempts to outflank the Sloviansko-Kramatorsk agglomeration, protected the Kharkiv-Sloviansk highway from being cut, and disrupted the offensive of the Russian 'Zapad' (West) grouping, forcing the redeployment of parts of the 1st Tank Army and reducing pressure on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi. Across all four stages of 'Vivaldi,' Ukrainian forces have returned 16 settlements and 277 km² under full control, and Biletsky estimated cumulative Russian losses at about 8,000 personnel. Participating units included the 3rd Assault Brigade, 60th and 125th Separate Mechanized Brigades, 3rd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Separate Airborne Assault Battalion, 21st Separate Special Purpose Border Detachment 'KRAKEN,' and attached units including the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 3rd Border Detachment, 10th Mobile Border Detachment 'Dozor,' tactical groups of the 8th SSO Regiment, 'Lasar's Group' of the National Guard, K-2 of the SBU, and UAV units of CSO 'A.'
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available sources are Ukrainian, and they relay the Third Army Corps's figures on liberated territory, settlements, and Russian losses largely uncritically. Most outlets lead with the 101 km² and three-village figure from Biletsky's announcement and frame the operation as a clear Ukrainian success. Some go beyond the basic numbers to include context such as the disruption of the Russian 'Zapad' grouping's offensive and the protection of the Kharkiv-Sloviansk highway, presenting these as direct outcomes of 'Vivaldi.' One outlet (NV) foregrounds a divergent DeepState figure of 88.17 km² for the area de-occupied on the Lyman direction, providing an independent analytical reference alongside the official claim.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the total count of settlements returned across all four stages: most outlets state that 16 settlements have been returned under full control, while one outlet (ZN.UA) splits the figure into 9 de-occupied and 7 returned to full control, totalling 16. The area cleared during the fourth stage is given as 101 km² in the Third Army Corps's announcement, while DeepState is cited as reporting 88.17 km² cleared on the Lyman direction over the same period.
Background
Operation 'Vivaldi' was publicly named on 15 September when the Third Army Corps first confirmed Ukrainian offensive actions in northern Donetsk Oblast, initially reporting 75 km² cleared and a further 10 km² de-occupied. Across the first three stages, settlements including Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, Koroviy Yar, Serednye, Drobysheve, Derylove, Shandryholove, Nove, Ridkodub, Katerynivka, Karpivka, and Novomykhailivka were reported as de-occupied or returned under Ukrainian control, with 176 km² de-occupied during the first two stages combined. On 18 September, the Third Army Corps reported that the elite Russian Rubikon UAV unit had been withdrawn from the Lyman-Borova direction due to significant losses. On 3 October, Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters that 125-140 km² had been liberated during 'Vivaldi' and that Russian losses had grown significantly over the preceding 2-3 months. The DeepState analytical project has independently tracked the de-occupation of land in the Lyman area throughout the operation.