Ukraine says it retook another 51 square kilometers in Donetsk Oblast offensive
Ukraine's Third Army Corps says its forces retook another 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of territory in northern Donetsk Oblast during the third stage of its Vivaldi counteroffensive, bringing the total area reclaimed in the operation to 176 square kilometers (68 square miles).
The corps said Ukrainian forces liberated the settlements of Nove, Ridkodub and Katerynivka and restored control over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka.
According to corps commander Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi, Nove was the main objective of the latest stage of the operation and served as a key Russian hub in the area.
Biletskyi said Ukrainian forces misled Russia into believing that the main attack would come along the Shandryholove–Zelena Dolyna axis, prompting Russian troops to commit reserves there while Ukraine concentrated its attack on Nove.
The Third Army Corps also said it used modified Soviet-era BTR-60 armored personnel carriers converted into remotely operated kamikaze vehicles to breach heavily fortified Russian positions.
The corps claimed Russian forces suffered about 2,000 casualties during the latest stage of the operation, while more than 250 Russian troops were taken prisoner. It said some Russian units surrendered together with officers, drone pilots and artillery personnel.
The claims regarding Russian losses could not be independently verified.
Ukraine first publicly confirmed the Vivaldi counteroffensive near Lyman on September 15 after weeks of reports by military analysts and open-source researchers about Ukrainian advances in the area.
During the first two stages of the operation, Ukrainian forces retook 125 square kilometers (48 square miles), according to the Third Army Corps.