Ukrainian forces liberate 75 square kilometers in Operation Vivaldi near Lyman

On September 15, Ukrainian forces claimed to have liberated 75 square kilometers in the Lyman sector of Donetsk Region during Operation Vivaldi. Ukrainian monitoring project DeepState confirmed the territory around Serednie village in Kramatorsk District was liberated, as well as a push by Ukrainian troops back from Russian positions near Shandryholove. These villages lay on the approaches to Lyman, a city that has seen months of static fighting.

Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, publicly announced the operation in a video address on Telegram. He stated that the Ukrainian forces had eliminated pockets of Russian infiltration across the liberated area and deoccupied another 10 square kilometers in the regions of Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, and Korovii Yar.

Drone units reportedly cut enemy logistics, forcing Russian troops to relocate fuel and lubricant depots and dismantle a pipeline, shifting their supply lines into Russia’s Voronezh Region.

Biletsky estimated Russian losses at around 1,500 soldiers from the 20th and 25th armies, with over 12,000 drones, hundreds of armored vehicles, artillery pieces, and other vehicles also lost. However, Biletsky cautioned against concluding the operation's ultimate goal, stating that rumors of reaching the Chornyi Zherebets River were premature. He mentioned that the operation was only the first phase of a four-season plan.

French analyst Clément Molin had noted earlier that Ukrainian units launched a counteroffensive north of Lyman in late May. Molin estimated Ukrainian forces had cut off the Russian salient and liberated more than 200 square kilometers, pushing the enemy across the Zherebets River. He deemed this operation one of Ukraine's most significant victories of 2026, as it could complicate further Russian advances on Lyman, Izium, and Sloviansk, delaying occupying forces' progress in northern Donbas.

Russian military bloggers have acknowledged Ukrainian counterattacks in the Lyman sector and criticized the Russian command for masking territorial losses with fabricated success reports.