3,000 Russian Troops LOST... Ukraine's "Operation Vivaldi" Just Took Back 3 More Villages

On 14 October 2026, Ukraine's Third Army Corps announced the end of the fourth phase of Operation Vivaldi near Lyman, in the north of the Donetsk region: 101 square kilometres retaken, the villages of Zelena Dolyna, Lypove and Kolodiazi liberated, and, according to the corps, about 3,000 Russian losses. Across all four "seasons", commander Andriy Biletsky says 16 settlements and 277 square kilometres have been returned and Russia has lost at least 8,000 troops. In this briefing we explain where Lyman is and why it guards Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the Russian pincer plan the operation broke, how it was kept secret for months, and what happened in each phase, including more than 250 Russian prisoners. We look at how a smaller army did it: deception, local drone superiority, electronic warfare, ground robots and small, fast steps, and why it is the opposite of the failed 2023 counteroffensive. Then what it did to Russia's plans and to the peace talks, what Russia's own war bloggers admitted, and the honest part: the land gains are broadly confirmed by independent analysts, but the loss figures are Ukrainian claims. Plus the rest of the war this week. Facts as reported up to 17 October 2026. 📘 Get the War Map Decoded guide (eBook): https://warmapdecoded.pages.dev