Ukraine’s Third Army Corps command reveals a months-old counteroffensive in northern Donetsk region. Its ultimate goal remains unknown.

The Ukrainian Ground Forces' Third Army Corps initiated a counteroffensive in the northern Donetsk region of Ukraine in late August 2026, according to the corps commander, Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi. Biletskyi announced this offensive in a special video address, following reports from pro-war Russian bloggers of a Ukrainian push near Lyman.

The operation, named "Vivaldi," aims to liberate several communities along the Lyman axis, including Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, and the area around Korovyi Yar, as well as liberate Serednie. Ukrainian forces cleared 75 square kilometers and liberated 10 square kilometers from Russian troops, claiming to have "dealt a devastating blow to the combat capabilities of Russia’s 20th and 25th armies."

The operation has cost Russian forces approximately 1,500 soldiers, along with over 12,000 drones and numerous armored vehicles, artillery systems, and other vehicles. Biletskyi stated that Ukrainian drones have severed the enemy's supply routes. Biletskyi speculated that the ultimate goal of the offensive is to reach the banks of the Zherebets River, though this goal is not independently verified.

The operation, which has been ongoing for about four months, remains shrouded in secrecy, with Biletskyi urging the public to respect operational secrecy and promising further updates. Lyman, a strategically important city roughly 100 kilometers north of the Russian-occupied Donetsk, was captured by Russian forces in May 2022 but was retaken by Ukraine in October of that year.

Russian forces attempted to storm Lyman again in early summer 2026 but were unsuccessful. The Ukrainian operation in the Donetsk region has not been previously disclosed by officials, and its ultimate goal remains unknown.