Ukraine claims capture of over 250 Russian soldiers in Vivaldi operation

Ukraine's Third Army Corps announced that a recent operation involving land drones and converted armored personnel carriers resulted in the surrender of more than 250 Russian soldiers. The operation, part of the Vivaldi counteroffensive in the Donbas region, reportedly used drones dropped behind enemy lines and unmanned vehicles packed with explosives.

A video released by the corps shows Russian soldiers walking in single file through a forest, guarded by Ukrainian forces and undergoing a roll-call. Some of the prisoners say they surrendered to avoid death and describe subsisting on bark, grass and puddle water after running out of supplies.

According to Andriy Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps, the drones were airdropped over 10 kilometres behind Russian positions and were controlled from Ukrainian command centres. The corps also repurposed older Soviet-era armored personnel carriers into unmanned vehicles, described as “Trojan” tanks, which were sent toward Russian fortifications.

The Institute for the Study of War estimated that Ukrainian forces recaptured roughly 150 square kilometres during September, attributing part of the gain to Operation Vivaldi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cited similar figures and said 5,000 Russian troops had been wounded or killed since the operation began.

Russian military bloggers have expressed concern over the reported losses, and President Vladimir Putin suggested that Europe and Ukraine expect Kyiv to hold out for only 18-24 months. Western intelligence estimates Russian casualties at about 40,000 per month, projecting that the current pace would delay any further Russian advance in the Donbas for years.