President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the command post of the 3rd Army Corps and met Ukrainian fighters carrying out Operation “Vivaldi”.
According to the Head of State, the operation plays an important role in defending Donbas and all of Ukraine.
“Over its three seasons, Ukraine’s Defence Forces have thwarted Russia’s plans to break through to the rear of the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration and stabilised the situation on this section of the front. Russia has lost more than 5,000 killed and wounded, and another 250 occupiers have been added to our exchange pool. Since the start of the offensive, Ukraine has managed to regain control of a total of 176 square kilometres of territory. Today we discussed plans for the fourth season of active operations,” Zelensky reported.
The President also spoke with unit commanders about artillery needs, pay and the use of ground-based robotic systems. Zelensky added that robotics made it possible to accomplish many tasks during the operation, so the state will scale up their use so that the most dangerous work at the front is done by drones rather than people.
In addition, the President met fighters from the 21st Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment, Kraken. During the meeting, they discussed developing the military’s unmanned component, equipping crews with hardware and the distribution of e-points.
The Head of State honoured the fighters with state awards for courage, a successful operation and the defence of Ukraine.
What is known about Operation “Vivaldi”?
- On 15 September, the commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Andrii Biletskyi announced that the unit in Donetsk region is conducting an offensive operation called “Vivaldi”.
- During the first season of the operation, the 3rd Army Corps eliminated enemy infiltration across an area of 75 km², de-occupied 10 km² of Ukrainian territory and captured Russian servicemen. During the second stage of the offensive, fighters of the 3rd Army Corps liberated the settlements of Shandryholove and Derylove, and also established full control over Drobyshcheve.
- Overall, at this stage they returned 125 km² of Ukrainian territory to Ukrainian control.