Ukrainian forces say their Operation Vivaldi counter-offensive has liberated 277 square kilometres (106 square miles) in the eastern Donbas region in recent months. Kyiv says the campaign has pushed back Russian troops on a front where Ukraine has made recent gains, even as Russia pummels the country from the air. Ukrainian officials also said the Starlink satellite system, which was built into the operation, has been restricted without warning this week, a move that has caused alarm in Kyiv.
The operation takes its name from the four stages, or seasons, of the Italian composer’s violin concerto. Ukraine says its assault blunted an attempted Russian pincer movement that threatened to encircle the Fortress Belt cities that remain under Ukrainian control. Kyiv also claims it has inflicted heavy losses on Russian forces, including 8,000 casualties in Vivaldi alone and close to 50,000 along the front in September, while suffering few casualties in return.
How Ukraine says it regained ground in Donbas
The offensive has been carried out while Russia is striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and killing scores of civilians across the country, according to the report. At the front, however, the momentum has shifted in Ukraine’s favour, at least in Kyiv’s account. Russia’s Ministry of Defence has not publicly acknowledged the Ukrainian gains, and its briefings have described only “repelling attacks” in the Lyman region or “improving the tactical position at the front.”
The Institute for the Study of War reported that pro-Russian military bloggers had acknowledged the Ukrainian advances. Some of them expressed fears that the setbacks could lead to further Russian losses. Ukrainian commanders say the campaign has freed 16 settlements from Russian occupation over what they describe as a year-long effort.
Robots and drones led the assault on Russian positions. For the first time, remote-controlled explosive vehicles were dropped behind Russian lines, and Ukrainian commanders said 250 Russian soldiers surrendered. Commandant Phoenix of the Revenge Brigade’s Silver Trinity unit described the preparation for the offensive as “enormous,” saying the men had trained for months and had to restructure their approach because they had previously been defending.
Drones, Starlink and the limits of digital warfare
Despite Ukraine’s advances, Russian drones remain a constant threat. Phoenix said his men face around 10 on an average day. During one moment described in the report, a Russian reconnaissance drone was caught in a net dropped by a Ukrainian snare drone. Had it locked on to the soldiers, a second drone carrying explosives would reportedly have followed.
The report describes a layered battlefield in which the command bunker receives live pictures from a hovering camera, while Ukrainian attack drones target enemy spotters that could call in more aerial firepower. Running through all of it is Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications network, which provides broadband connectivity across the front.
Ukraine said this week, as Operation Vivaldi concluded, that restrictions had been imposed on the system without warning, limiting its capability. Musk and media reports suggest the order may have come from the White House. The report notes that Ukraine is not wholly reliant on Starshield, but describes it as a key tool, vital for interceptor and mid-range strike drones. Ukrainian concern centres on the fact that such a tool can be restricted without any warning or consultation.
Unmanned ground vehicles also play a growing role, moving supplies, evacuating the wounded and, increasingly, leading attacks. The report said everything on the battlefield depends on digital connectivity, but added that it is still human soldiers in the trenches who hold the ground.
Soldiers and residents on a devastated front
Soldiers who have spent weeks on the front have reached the command post safely. An infantryman with the call-sign Dealer said he felt strong but was glad to be heading home after three months in which his unit moved its positions four times. He described Russian drones, which are piloted remotely, as the most frightening threat.
In the village of Karpivka, which Russia had occupied since April, Ukrainian troops found one remaining resident, 61-year-old Volodymyr Zamota. He told the report that he had survived for eight months in total isolation after his neighbours fled the Russian advance in 2025. “I’m the only person left in the whole village, and the village has been almost completely destroyed,” he said.
The devastation is typical of the territory Ukraine has recaptured. Residents cannot yet safely return, and many may not have intact homes to go back to. Andriy Hitt, chief of staff of the Revenge Brigade, said the real value of the operation lay in securing advantageous positions and a bridgehead that would support later manoeuvres. He described each action as “a building block towards victory.”
The gains could be threatened by limits on US technology and American intelligence, at a time when relations between Kyiv and Washington are at a low point. President Zelensky said this week that he felt “betrayed” by Donald Trump. The US leader said he was “not a fan” of his Ukrainian counterpart and called him harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin. Trump has also said Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries have pushed up oil prices, while Ukraine blames the US and Israeli war against Iran for the rise.
Despite the diplomatic rift, morale among the soldiers the report met remains high. Dealer said Operation Vivaldi had renewed his belief that Ukraine can win the war. Volodymyr Zamota, who has been fed by drones dropping food parcels on their way to front-line troops, said he believed Ukraine could win, adding that he would like to know when the fighting will end.
