Ukraine says Operation Vivaldi pushed Russia back in eastern Donbas

Ukraine's military says its Operation Vivaldi counter-offensive has pushed Russian forces back across 277 sq km (106 square miles) of the eastern Donbas region in recent months, the BBC reported from near Lyman in eastern Ukraine.

The operation takes its name from the four stages, or seasons, of Vivaldi's violin concerto. The assault blunted an attempted Russian pincer movement that threatened to encircle key Fortress Belt cities still under Ukrainian control.

Kyiv says it inflicted heavy losses: 8,000 Russian casualties in Vivaldi alone and close to 50,000 along the front in September, while suffering few casualties in return. The Institute for the Study of War reported that pro-Russian military bloggers acknowledged the Ukrainian advances and feared future Russian losses. No Russian official has publicly acknowledged the gains; Russian ministry of defence briefings say only that its forces were 'repelling attacks' in the Lyman region or 'improving the tactical position at the front'.

Starlink limits raise concern

Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network, was integrated into Operation Vivaldi. This week, as the operation concluded, Ukraine said 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. Ukraine is not wholly reliant on Starshield, but it is a key tool, vital for interceptor and mid-range strike drones. The lack of warning or consultation has sparked major concern in Ukraine.

Russian drones remain ever-present. Phoenix, commandant of the Revenge Brigade's Silver Trinity unit, says his men face about 10 on an average day. In one moment shown to the BBC, a Ukrainian drone dropped a net on a Russian reconnaissance drone, dragging it from the sky; had it locked on to soldiers, another drone carrying explosives would have followed. Unmanned ground vehicles scurry back and forth delivering supplies, evacuating the wounded and increasingly leading the charge.

Ukrainian commanders say their year-long campaign has freed 16 settlements. Remote-controlled explosive vehicles were dropped behind Russian lines for the first time, and 250 Russians surrendered, they say.

A village's last resident

In Karpivka, a village occupied since April, Ukrainian forces found one remaining local resident: 61-year-old Volodymyr Zamota. He told the BBC he survived eight months in total isolation and that the village had been almost completely destroyed. 'Hope dies last,' he said, calling the experience a terrible tragedy.

The concern over US technology and intelligence comes as relations between Kyiv and Washington are at an all-time low. President Zelensky said this week he felt 'betrayed' by Donald Trump, while the US leader said he was 'not a fan' of his Ukrainian counterpart and that he was harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin. Trump says Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries have hiked oil prices; Ukraine says the US and Israeli war against Iran is the cause.

Among the soldiers the BBC met, morale is high. Dealer, an infantryman in the Silver Trinity unit, said Operation Vivaldi had renewed his belief that Ukraine can win. His unit is making sure Volodymyr, known as Grandpa, has enough to eat by dropping food parcels from drones on their way to the front. Asked whether Ukraine could win, Volodymyr said yes, adding that he wanted to know when it would all end.

Source: BBC World.