Stories
Ukraine Regains Ground in Donbas as Russian Advance Slows
- •Ukraine has successfully reclaimed territory in the eastern Donbas region through a campaign named Operation Vivaldi, disrupting Russia's plans to encircle key cities.
- •Russian territorial gains across Ukraine have slowed significantly, with September marking Russia's lowest net territorial gains since June 2023 according to the Black Bird Group.
- •Operation Vivaldi involved months of careful preparation, including targeting Russian logistics, destroying a supply pipeline, neutralizing drone operators, and clearing mines with robotic systems.
- •Ukrainian forces successfully deployed armored vehicles equipped with enhanced reactive armour alongside ground-based drones to catch Russian forces by surprise and push back positions.
- •While heavy fighting continues in the southern Donbas around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, Ukraine credits its improved defense to better technology, mass drone production, and the Delta digital battlefield management system.
Key Questions Answered
Operation Vivaldi is a Ukrainian counteroffensive campaign named after Antonio Vivaldi's four seasons composition. Ukraine spent months preparing by stabilizing defensive positions, targeting Russian logistics such as roads and railways, destroying an oil pipeline used for battlefield surveillance, and deploying robotic systems to clear mines.
Armoured vehicles fitted with enhanced reactive armour to protect against drone attacks were used to advance and clear Russian positions bunker by bunker. Their deployment was notable because their battlefield role had previously diminished due to vulnerability to drones.
Russian troops have increasingly relied on small groups of soldiers infiltrating Ukrainian positions on foot through drone-saturated areas, contributing to a growing gray zone where fighting occurs over individual buildings and roads. They also continue to launch heavy daily assaults involving hundreds of soldiers.
