Ukraine's forces hint at 'good news' as Operation Vivaldi continues
Photo: Commander of the Third Army Corps Andrii Biletskyi (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via)
Operation Vivaldi, which Ukrainian forces are conducting in northern Donetsk region, is intended to enable units to move to more advantageous positions for further defense. Good news may already be on the way, according to a statement by Commander of the Third Army Corps Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky during a national telethon.
According to him, the Russian forces had a plan in the Donetsk direction: to encircle the so-called fortress cities from the north and south.
"From the south, they planned to encircle them through Dobropillia, while from the north, they planned to advance through the salient that is now being cut off. It was heading toward the city of Sviatohirsk and then to the settlement of Barvinkove, where the two pincers of the Russian army - the Dobropillia pincer from the south and this Sviatohirsk pincer, roughly speaking, from the north - were supposed to meet," Biletsky said.
In the Dobropillia area, Ukrainian forces halted the Russian advance during its infiltration last year. The situation there is quite difficult again now, but it remains under control.
"The northern pincer has effectively been defeated and destroyed. It is critically important for us to prevent them from restoring their offensive capabilities not here, not on the battlefield, not with infantry, so to speak, but by disrupting logistics and rear capabilities, so that the Russians cannot resume this offensive," the corps commander said.
As Biletsky explained, the Russians will then have to storm Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and the Druzhkivka-Kostiantynivka urban agglomeration head-on.
And launching frontal assaults on these cities is far more painful and costly for them than trying to encircle them and, if successful, capture them without a battle. Therefore, it is very important for Ukrainian forces to paralyze the enemy's logistics.
According to the commander, information about the counteroffensive must be kept secret to ensure its effectiveness, and only after reaching designated lines should some parts of the operation be disclosed.
But, on the other hand, there is also the diplomatic dimension of this war and the psychological impact on both the enemy's army and its population.
"Therefore, after completing several stages, we will announce their results. Everyone assumed that 75 km meant 75 km. But no one said that everything ended at 75 km. Ukraine can calmly wait for good news," Biletsky added.
Operation Vivaldi
As a reminder, the Third Army Corps recently launched Operation Vivaldi in northern Donetsk region. Several settlements have already been reported cleared.
Ukrainian troops have also eliminated a camouflaged enemy position and established a bridgehead for a further offensive.
In addition, on September 13, Brigadier General Denys "Redis" Prokopenko took command of the Azov troop grouping, which will operate in Donetsk region.
