---
title: "\"The Northern Pincer Has Been Crushed\": Biletsky Reveals Details of Operation Vivaldi in Northern Donbas"
description: "Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky stated that the \"northern pincer\" of Russian forces in Donbas has effectively been crushed during Operation Vivaldi. In his words, Ukraine should expect \"good news\" following the offensive."
date: 2026-09-17T07:44:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/biletsky-operation-vivaldi-northern-pincer-crushed
tags: [ukraine-war, operation-vivaldi, donetsk-region, vsu, biletskiy, military, russia-ukraine]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The Northern Pincer Has Been Crushed": Biletsky Reveals Details of Operation Vivaldi in Northern Donbas

![Ukrainian Armed Forces officer in camouflage with soldiers in the background — frame from Biletsky's statement on the Vivaldi operation in northern Donbas](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/18/biletskiy-operatsiya-vivaldi-severnaya-kleshnya-razgromlena/biletskiy-operatsiya-vivaldi-severnaya-kleshnya-razgromlena-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky stated that the "northern pincer" of Russian forces in the north of Donetsk Oblast has effectively been crushed during Operation Vivaldi.
- The key task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to paralyze the enemy's logistics to prevent the restoration of the offensive and force Russia to assault the fortress cities head-on.
- Information on the course of the counteroffensive is kept secret; the results of individual phases will be announced once they are completed.
- On September 13, 2026, Denys "Redys" Prokopenko took command of the "Azov" military grouping in Donetsk Oblast.

The commander of the Third Army Corps, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, gave a detailed account on a TV marathons of the progress of the offensive operation "Vivaldi," which Ukrainian units are carrying out in the north of Donetsk Oblast. According to him, the key objective of the operation is to move Ukrainian Armed Forces units onto more advantageous defensive positions and to deprive the enemy of the ability to execute its plan to encircle the so-called fortress cities from two directions. Biletsky emphasized that information on the course of the counteroffensive is deliberately kept secret to preserve the tactical effect, although the results of individual phases will be announced publicly once they are completed.

### The Enemy's Plan: Two "Pincers" Around the Fortress Cities

The general disclosed the Russian military's strategic plan on the Donetsk axis. According to his data, Moscow intended to encircle key settlements from the north and the south. The southern "pincer" was to advance through Dobropillia, while the northern one — through a salient that, in Biletsky's words, "is currently being cut off." The northern direction ran toward the city of Sviatohorsk and then toward Barvinkove, where, by the enemy's design, the two pincers — the Dobropillia one and the conditional Sviatohorsk one — were to close in and trap the Ukrainian units in a ring. In the words of the corps commander, the Russian advance in the Dobropillia direction had already been halted back during last year's infiltration; the situation there is now "fairly complex, but under control."

### "The Northern Pincer Has Effectively Been Crushed"

The main result of Operation Vivaldi, in Biletsky's assessment, is the neutralization of the northern encirclement axis. "The northern pincer has effectively been crushed and destroyed," the general stated. He stressed that it is critically important for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to prevent the restoration of this offensive — not on the battlefield and not by infantry forces, but by paralyzing the enemy's logistics and rear-support capabilities. If the Russians are unable to restore their offensive potential on this sector, they will have to assault Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, and the Druzhkivka-Konstantynivka agglomeration "head-on" — which, in Biletsky's words, is "far more painful and costly" than attempting to take the cities without a fight through encirclement.

### Logistics as the Key Factor and the Secrecy of the Operation

The commander of the Third Army Corps separately addressed the issue of information security. In his words, data on the counteroffensive must be kept secret to preserve its effectiveness, and only upon reaching certain lines could individual details be disclosed. At the same time, Biletsky acknowledged the existence of a "diplomatic dimension of this war" and of psychological influence on both the enemy's army and its population. "Once several phases are completed, we will announce their results," the general promised. He also referred to the previous counteroffensive phase: "Everyone understood that 75 km is 75 km. But no one said that everything ended at 75 km. Ukraine can calmly wait for good news."

### Contradictory Data

The provided sources contain a minor discrepancy in wording. Thus, the outlet Kochegarka.com.ua uses the phrasing "an offensive operation was carried out" in the headline of one of its publications, which could be interpreted as the operation having been completed, whereas in the text of Biletsky's statement and in RBC-Ukraine's materials the operation is described as ongoing ("are carrying out," "launched an offensive operation"). Most likely, this is a difference in journalistic framing: in this context, "was carried out" means "launched, initiated," not "completed." In addition, in different materials the general's surname is rendered as "Biletsky" and "Beletsyky" — this is a variation in transliteration, not a reference to different individuals. No significant factual contradictions between the sources regarding the content of the statement were found.

### Context: Who Is Commanding and What Has Already Been Done

Recently, the Third Army Corps launched Operation Vivaldi in the north of Donetsk Oblast. The clearing of several settlements, the elimination of camouflaged enemy groups, and the establishment of a bridgehead for further advance have already been recorded. On September 13, 2026, Brigadier General Denys "Redys" Prokopenko took command of the "Azov" military grouping, which will operate in Donetsk Oblast. Thus, Operation Vivaldi is being conducted amid a reshuffle in the command staff, which, according to observers, could both accelerate decision-making and require time for subordinate units to adapt to the new leadership.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- ["Ukraine Can Expect Good News": Beletsyky Makes Statement on Operation Vivaldi](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ukrayina-mozhe-chekati-garnih-novin-biletskiy-1789630260.html) - Подтверждает факт заявления Билецкого в эфире телемарафона, содержание цитат о «северной клешне», логистике и 75 км. Фамилия в заголовке — «Белецкий».
- [Official! An Offensive Operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, "Vivaldi," Was Carried Out in Donetsk Oblast](https://kochegarka.com.ua/oficialno-v-doneckoj-oblasti-provedena-nastupatelnaya-operaciya-vsu-vivaldi/) - Подтверждает факт проведения операции «Вивальди» на севере Донецкой области, зачистку населённых пунктов и создание плацдарма. Формулировка «проведена» может трактоваться неоднозначно.
- [The Main Goal of the Operation in Donetsk Oblast and the Crushing of the Occupiers' "Northern Pincer"](https://kochegarka.com.ua/glavnaya-cel-operacii-v-doneckoj-oblasti-i-razgrom-severnoj-kleshni-okkupantov/) - Подтверждает факт проведения операции «Вивальди» на севере Донецкой области, зачистку населённых пунктов и создание плацдарма. Формулировка «проведена» может трактоваться неоднозначно.
- [Operation Vivaldi and Russia's New Offensive: What Is Actually Happening in Donbas](https://focus.ua/eksklyuzivy/767783-operaciya-vivaldi-na-donbasse-kak-izmenilos-nastuplenie-rf-i-gde-glavnaya-ugroza-fokus) - Предоставляет аналитический контекст по изменению характера наступления РФ и оценке угроз на Донбассе. Согласуется с заявлениями Билецкого.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is Operation Vivaldi?
**A:** Operation Vivaldi is an offensive operation by the Third Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, launched in the north of Donetsk Oblast. Its goal is to move onto more advantageous defensive positions and to deprive Russian forces of the ability to encircle the fortress cities from the north.

### Q: What happened to the "northern pincer" of Russian forces?
**A:** According to Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, "the northern pincer has effectively been crushed and destroyed." This axis ran through a salient toward Sviatohorsk and Barvinkove. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also seeking to paralyze the enemy's logistics to prevent the restoration of the offensive.

### Q: Why are the Ukrainian Armed Forces not disclosing all the details of the operation?
**A:** Biletsky explained that information on the counteroffensive is kept secret to preserve the tactical effect. The results of individual phases will be announced once they are completed, taking into account the diplomatic and psychological aspects.

### Q: Who took command of the "Azov" military grouping in Donetsk Oblast?
**A:** On September 13, 2026, Brigadier General Denys "Redys" Prokopenko took command of the "Azov" military grouping, which will operate in Donetsk Oblast.