Ukraine touts gains from Operation Vivaldi as Russia claims major encirclements. What’s really happening on the battlefield?
The Russian and Ukrainian armies continue their offensives in different sectors of the front. Because these operations have coincided with a new burst of activity in the negotiations mediated by Donald Trump, they have been accompanied by loud public relations campaigns. The Russian command describes its offensive as “destroying encircled groupings,” though in reality it has failed to encircle…
Russian and Ukrainian armies are in the midst of offensive operations on different sectors of the front. The Russian military claims it is encircling Ukrainian forces, but Ukrainian officials say they have not been encircled. Ukrainian troops are in the third phase of "Operation Vivaldi" near Lyman in the Donetsk region. This operation is aimed at pushing Russian forces off their first line of defense.
Both sides continue to engage in fierce battles, with Ukrainian forces attempting to halt Russian advances while the Russians try to break through to the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk urban area. The Russian army lost much of the territory it had captured in the northeast around Lyman. Ukrainian forces have only managed to advance about 10 kilometers in various sectors.
Despite these advances, Russian forces still hold positions on the western bank of the Chornyi Zherebets river near Zarichne and in surrounding forests and ravines. Meanwhile, Russian forces are also attempting to outflank Ukrainian units advancing on Mykolaivka, with one video showing Russian troops retaking the city center that had been cleared earlier in the summer.
The outcome of these battles will determine whether Russian forces get closer to Sloviansk's outskirts in 2026.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
