Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi Recaptures Villages, Inflicts Heavy Russian Casualties
Kyiv reports liberation of three villages and restoration of control over two others, with an estimated 2,000 Russian troops killed or wounded.
Ukrainian forces have liberated three villages and regained full control of two others as part of Operation Vivaldi, a phased counter-offensive, officials announced Monday. The operation resulted in an estimated 2,000 Russian casualties and the capture of over 250 Russian soldiers.
Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps stated that his troops successfully recaptured the villages of Ridkodub, Nove, and Katerynivka in the Donetsk region. The operation also saw the restoration of Ukrainian control over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka.
Biletskyi explained that Ukrainian forces employed a strategy of deception, inducing Russia to defend a position south of the main objective. This allowed Ukrainian soldiers to reclaim approximately 20 square miles of territory, an area comparable to Manhattan. He reported that the Russian forces were focused on the feint, allowing the main strike on Nove to succeed.
"The idea that ‘Russians don’t surrender’ from movies in practice turned into entire units surrendering in full — including officers, pilots and artillerymen,” Biletskyi said, adding that his forces hope to exchange the captured soldiers for Ukrainian POWs.
Operation Vivaldi, now in its third phase, has liberated nearly 68 square miles of land from Russian forces, according to the Ukrainian military. The operation has also seen Ukrainian troops modify Soviet-era BTR-60 armored vehicles into unmanned kamikaze bombs to breach Russian defenses.
The village of Nove was a critical target, having been converted into a key Russian hub in the region. With the newly liberated territory, Ukrainian forces have established a pincer movement around the Zelena-Dolyna settlement, the area Russia was drawn into defending.
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Kyiv has recaptured approximately 288 square miles of territory. "The occupiers continue to be eliminated, and the designated objectives are being achieved," Zelensky commented on Operation Vivaldi.
Despite these gains, Russian troops continue to occupy about 45,000 square miles of Ukrainian territory, representing roughly 20% of the country, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).