Ukraine claims to recapture 51 sq km and seize key settlement in Lyman offensive
Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps said its forces reclaimed 51 square kilometres and captured more than 250 Russian soldiers during the third stage of Operation Vivaldi in the Lyman sector.
Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps announced that its troops have retaken about 51 square kilometres (nearly 20 square miles) of land in the Donetsk region’s Lyman direction and seized the settlement of Nove, a key bridgehead point. Commander Andriy Biletsky said Ukrainian forces also restored full control over the villages of Karpivka and Novomykhailivka and fully liberated Ridkodub and Katerynivka.
“This stage was a turning point for the entire operation,” Biletsky said in a video address.
He added that the high ground around Nove was essential for maintaining the initiative and that Ukrainian units employed modified Soviet-era BTR armored personnel carriers as remote-controlled assault devices to breach Russian positions. Biletsky claimed Russian casualties exceeded 2,000 troops in this phase and that more than 250 Russian soldiers, including officers, pilots and artillerymen, were taken prisoner, potentially for future exchanges.
“The cinematic ‘Russians don’t surrender’ turned into the reality of entire units surrendering en masse,” he said.
According to Biletsky, Ukrainian forces used deceptive maneuvers to mask the main thrust, leading Russian commanders to expect an offensive toward the Shandryholove-Zelena Dolyna area. This misdirection caused Russian reserves to be committed there, allowing Ukrainian troops to concentrate on Nove.
“The enemy was caught off guard by the main thrust aimed at capturing Nove,” he said.
The 3rd Assault Brigade and the 3rd Border Guard Detachment were highlighted for their roles in the assault and in securing newly captured lines. Biletsky described the third stage as decisive, noting that the overall operation, launched on Sept. 15, aims to push back Russian forces, disrupt infiltration tactics and cut supply routes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later referenced the gains in a Telegram post, citing a report from Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty and noting intense fighting along the Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka and Lyman axes, as well as operations in other eastern regions.