Key facts
- Operation Vivaldi liberated 16 villages and 277 square kilometers of land.
- Anti-personnel mines caused 80% of Ukrainian casualties.
- Russian troops in Shandryholove were reportedly weakened by cold weather.
Ukrainian forces have successfully conducted Operation Vivaldi, a secret counteroffensive in the Lyman sector of Donetsk Oblast, liberating 16 villages and 277 square kilometers of territory. The operation, which began in the spring, aimed to improve defensive positions ahead of winter and demonstrated that significant infantry advances are still possible on the modern battlefield.
Soldiers faced intense challenges, including crossing dense minefields and rivers under constant Russian artillery and drone surveillance. Battalion Commander Sergii Galchenko, known as "Psycho," described the heavy mining of the area, with anti-personnel mines accounting for 80% of Ukrainian casualties. The village of Shandryholove, a key objective, took over a month to liberate due to extensive Russian defenses, including underground networks and heavily mined terrain.
Ukrainian tactics involved using drones extensively to strike Russian positions ahead of advancing troops and employing a blockade strategy to isolate enemy forces. Soldiers also employed varied assault timings and routes, sometimes using anti-thermal blankets at night, to keep Russian troops guessing. Some Russian soldiers in Shandryholove were reportedly weakened or died from exposure to the cold weather at the offensive's start.