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Ukraine says its forces retake five settlements in Lyman sector
Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps says its forces have liberated the settlements of Nove, Redkodub, and Katerynivka from Russian occupation, and have restored control over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka in the Lyman sector in northern Donetsk region. The statement, attributed to corps commander Andriy Biletsky, was posted Monday, September 28, on the corps' Telegram channel.
“Enemy losses: 2,000 troops killed, over 250 Russians taken prisoner. That’s how the third season of ‘Vivaldi’, a turning point for the whole operation, has ended. We’ve regained another 51 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, bringing the total to 176 since the offensive began,” the statement said. Biletsky added, "Russian troops surrendered in entire units, including officers, pilots, and artillerymen." He also noted that the 3rd Army Corps broke through Russian defenses using “Soviet BTR-60s converted into robotic kamikaze systems.”
The Ukrainian brigade commander said the main focus of this phase of Operation Vivaldi was the village of Novoe. “Whoever controls the high ground around that settlement holds the initiative for the bridgehead,” Biletsky explained, highlighting the key role of fighters from the 3rd Assault Brigade in what he called the third season of Vivaldi.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not commented on the Ukrainian statement, but on the morning of September 28 it announced the capture of the settlement of Novovodyane in the Donetsk region.
Biletsky has announced plans for four “seasons” of Operation Vivaldi.
Speaking on September 15, at the launch of Operation Vivaldi, Biletsky said the results in the Lyman sector represented just one of four “seasons”—a reference to the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi's work The Four Seasons. Responding to speculation that Ukraine’s goal is to reach the Chornyi Zherebets river, he called on people to follow official statements and “not jump to spoilers.”
A message posted by the 3rd Army Corps that day stated that 85 square kilometers of territory had been de-occupied, and that Russian forces had lost “about 1,500 troops, more than 12,000 drones, and hundreds of armored vehicles, artillery systems, and trucks.” The Telegram post said, “A devastating blow has been dealt to the combat effectiveness of Russia’s 20th and 25th armies.”
On September 20, in what the corps called Operation Vivaldi’s “second season,” Ukrainian forces liberated the villages of Shandrygolove and Derylove in Donetsk region and took full control of Drobysheve, according to a corps statement.
Ukraine’s advances in Donbas have also been confirmed by monitoring channels.
Representatives of the Ukrainian project DeepState, which regularly updates an interactive battle map, posted an update on the morning of September 28 reporting that Ukrainian forces had retaken Redkodub, Novoe, and Katerynivka, and reestablished control near Novomykhailivka and Lypove.
In reports published overnight on September 28, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukrainian forces are adjusting their counteroffensive tactics at this stage of the war, focusing on systematically disrupting Russian efforts to reinforce and expand initial breakthroughs, rather than immediately eliminating Russian units that have penetrated front-line positions.
ISW also noted that pro-Russian “military correspondents” continue to stress that a “pervasive culture of dishonesty in the Russian armed forces is contributing to Ukrainian successes north and northeast of Lyman.”
