Ukraine retakes another 101 square kilometers in Donetsk Oblast counteroffensive
Ukrainian forces have recaptured another 101 square kilometers (39 square miles) and liberated three villages in northern Donetsk Oblast during the fourth phase of Operation Vivaldi, according to the commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletskyi.
The latest gains near the frontline city of Lyman include the villages of Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodiazi, Biletskyi announced on October 14.
According to the Third Army Corps, Ukrainian forces have now recaptured a total of 277 square kilometers (107 square miles) and 16 settlements over the course of the operation.
The corps also reported approximately 3,000 Russian personnel losses during the fourth phase, bringing its claimed total to 8,000. These figures have not been independently verified.
Why the counteroffensive matters
Biletskyi said the operation prevented Russian forces from advancing around the flanks of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two strategically important Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian troops also secured the Kharkiv–Sloviansk highway, a key supply route for Ukrainian forces operating in the Donbas.
"We prevented the enemy from encircling the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk area from the flanks and protected the Kharkiv–Sloviansk highway," Biletskyi said.
He added that the counteroffensive had disrupted Russia's Zapad (West) military grouping and forced it to redeploy elements of its 1st Tank Army, reducing pressure on the Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi area farther north.
The Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState separately confirmed the liberation of Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodiazi, as well as Ukrainian territorial gains near Stavky and Shandryholove.
Four phases of Operation Vivaldi
Operation Vivaldi was publicly confirmed on September 15, although Ukrainian counteroffensive actions near Lyman had reportedly been underway for several months.
The operation initially focused on eliminating Russian infiltration positions north of Lyman before developing into a broader counteroffensive.
Its first two phases resulted in the recapture of 176 square kilometers (68 square miles), according to Ukrainian military reports.
The Third Army Corps announced the completion of the operation's four phases on October 14.
"Four seasons of Vivaldi are complete. But the music plays on," the corps said.