KYIV — Ukrainian forces have launched an offensive operation in the north of the eastern Donetsk region, a senior military commander said Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi, who has commanded Ukraine’s defense in the vicinity since last month, said the Third Army Corps had cleared 75 square kilometers (29 square miles) of Russian infiltration groups and recaptured a further 10 square kilometers. The area lies north of the so-called fortress belt of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, cities Russia seeks to seize as part of its goal of controlling all of Donetsk.
“The third army corps has started offensive operation at this direction. The operation is called ‘Vivaldi,’” Biletskyi said in a video on Telegram. He said troops disrupted Russian logistics, cleared three villages and an area around a fourth, and fully controlled the village of Serednie.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Determining territorial control remains difficult amid drone warfare that has created a wide no-man’s land along the front. Russia’s advances have slowed this year but forces continue pressing from the south and infiltrating Kostiantynivka. U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have visited Moscow and Kyiv this month seeking to restart stalled talks.
Sources: Reuters
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