Ukraine says its forces recaptured over 100 sq km near Lyman in Operation Vivaldi

Ukraine's Third Army Corps announced that its forces have reclaimed about 101 square kilometres (39 square miles) and three villages near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region. Brigadier General Andriy Biletskyi, who commands the corps, said the gains were achieved during a counteroffensive launched in mid-September after Russian troops had previously broken through north of the city.

"Operation Vivaldi forced Moscow to quickly redeploy reinforcements to the Lyman area, weakening its positions elsewhere on the front lines," the corps statement said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting the area on September 30, described the operation as "important in many ways" for Ukraine's defence. According to the corps, the overall Operation Vivaldi campaign has recaptured 277 square kilometres and 16 villages since it began.

Western analysts have noted that Russian officials have claimed larger territorial gains in the north, a claim the Institute for the Study of War says is intended to divert attention from Ukrainian advances near Lyman. The institute reported that open-source data shows Russia captured about 152 square kilometres in the Sumy region this year.

Russia continues to assert annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, though its control over these areas is not internationally recognised. Kyiv maintains its objective of restoring Ukrainian sovereignty over all occupied territories.