Ukrainian forces have opened an offensive in northern Donetsk, with the Third Army Corps reporting it cleared 75 sq km of Russian infiltration groups and retook 10 sq km under "Operation Vivaldi." Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi said Ukrainian troops disrupted Russian logistics, cleared three villages and secured Serednie. Reuters could not independently verify the claims, and drone-created no-man's-land makes exact front lines hard to confirm. If verified, these gains would complement Kyiv's earlier reclaiming of over 700 sq km in the southeast.
Ukraine Launches 'Operation Vivaldi' Offensive in Northern Donetsk, Commander Says
Service members with the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces unload supplies from a military vehicle as they arrive for a combat mission in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Sept. 9, 2026. (Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters)
Ukrainian forces launched a coordinated offensive on the northern flank of Donetsk on Tuesday, a senior commander said, targeting Russian positions north of the region's main defensive "fortress belt" around Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi, who assumed command of local defenses last month, said the Third Army Corps cleared about 75 square kilometres of Russian infiltration groups and retook an additional 10 square kilometres. He named the push "Operation Vivaldi" and said his units had disrupted Russian logistics, cleared three villages and secured the village of Serednie.
"The Third Army Corps has started an offensive operation in this direction. The operation is called 'Vivaldi'."
Biletskyi described actions to push back enemy probes and to interdict supply lines that sustain forward Russian positions. Reuters said it could not independently verify these territorial claims. Confirming precise front lines remains difficult because persistent drone warfare has created wide no-man's-land "kill zones" along parts of the front.
The Donetsk region has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting since the conflict began. Moscow has sought control of the entire region — a central negotiating demand — while U.S. officials have pushed for talks to resume; U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kyiv this month.
If verified, the reported gains in northern Donetsk would add to Kyiv's earlier successes this year: Ukraine said it reclaimed more than 700 square kilometres in the southeast during a months-long counteroffensive. Frontline conditions remain fluid and independent verification of changes in territory is limited.
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