---
title: "Operation \"Vivaldi\": Third Army Corps Launches Offensive in Northern Donbas and Liberates Seredne"
description: "The Third Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched the offensive operation \"Vivaldi\" in northern Donetsk Oblast, liberating Seredne and clearing about 75 sq. km. General Biletsky called the first stage of a multi-phase operation."
date: 2026-09-15T07:26:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/operation-vivaldi-third-corps-offensive-northern-donbas
tags: [ukraine-war, donbas, vivaldi-operation, third-army-corps, russia-ukraine, military-offensive]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Operation "Vivaldi": Third Army Corps Launches Offensive in Northern Donbas and Liberates Seredne

![Ukrainian soldiers in camouflage with foliage nets advance through the forest during the Third Army Corps offensive operation in northern Donbas](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/15/operatsiya-vivaldi-tretiy-korpus-nastuplenie-sever-donbassa/operatsiya-vivaldi-tretiy-korpus-nastuplenie-sever-donbassa-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The Third Army Corps launched Operation "Vivaldi" in northern Donetsk Oblast, liberating Seredne and clearing about 75 sq. km under a regime of information silence.
- According to General Biletsky, the offensive struck Russia's 20th and 25th Armies, forcing the relocation of fuel and lubricants deliveries to Voronezh Oblast.
- Biletsky stated that the operation consists of "four seasons," and the first stage is not yet complete.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, at the summit in Rovaniemi, warned of decisive weeks for Europe and steadfast support for Ukraine.

On September 15, 2026, the Third Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces went on the offensive in northern Donetsk Oblast, launching an operation under the code name "Vivaldi." This was announced by the corps commander, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, according to RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the units operated under a regime of information silence, which allowed them to covertly eliminate enemy infiltration points and clear approximately 75 square kilometers of territory, with a further 10 square kilometers deoccupied. During the operation, the village of Seredne and a number of other settlements were liberated and cleared of the penetration of Russian units.

### The Course of Operation "Vivaldi"

The key feature of the offensive, as emphasized by the command, was the operation under conditions of information silence: the Ukrainian military did not publicize the preparations or the course of the action, which caught the enemy off guard. As a result, according to Biletsky, the infiltration points were eliminated and a significant area was cleared. The specific list of settlements, apart from the liberated Seredne, is not disclosed in full in the public statement, which is consistent with the chosen regime of operational secrecy.

### Blow to the Enemy's Logistics

The offensive, according to the corps commander's assessment, dealt a serious blow to the combat capability of Russia's 20th and 25th Armies. Due to the strikes by the Third Army Corps, Russian forces were forced to move the delivery of fuel and lubricants outside Ukraine — to Voronezh Oblast, where, reportedly, a pipeline was dismantled and warehouse complexes were withdrawn. In parallel, unmanned systems units cut off the enemy's logistics routes, exacerbating supply problems at the front line.

### "Four Seasons": The General Does Not Reveal the Ultimate Goal

In response to a question about the ultimate goal of the operation, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky rejected the version, widely circulated in open sources, of reaching the Chornyi Zherebeets River. "Our operation is called 'Vivaldi.' And Vivaldi, as is known, has four seasons. And this is only the first of them. So keep an eye on our official announcements and don't rush to spoil it. Good news will come," he stated, effectively pointing to the multi-stage nature of the offensive and the intention to continue it after the first stage.

### Europe's Reaction and the Context at the Front

Against the backdrop of reports of the offensive, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, at the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, warned of "decisive weeks and months" for the defense of peace in Europe, emphasizing that Germany must remain steadfast in its support of Ukraine until the end of the war. Earlier, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recorded the Ukrainian forces seizing the initiative in 2026: according to their data, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have virtually nullified Russia's territorial gains and carried out counteroffensives on the Kupiansk, Kharkiv (Oskil) and Lyman axes, creating the overall context for Operation "Vivaldi" in northern Donbas.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Third Corps Launches Offensive in Northern Donbas: First Successes Already Reported](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tretiy-korpus-pochav-nastup-pivnochi-donechchini-1789457012.html) - Первичный источник заявления Билецкого: операция «Вивальди», 75 кв. км зачищено, 10 кв. км деоккупировано, освобождение Среднего, удар по логистике 20-й и 25-й армий РФ.
- [Operation Vivaldi: Third Corps Conducts Offensive in Northern Donetsk Oblast, Successes Reported](https://fakty.com.ua/ru/ukraine/20260915-operatsiya-vivaldi-tretij-korpus-provodyt-nastup-na-pivnochi-donetskoyi-oblasti-ye-uspihy/) - Подтверждает факт наступления и название операции; операционные детали совпадают с заявлением командования.
- [Third Army Corps Goes on the Offensive in Donbas. First Successes Reported](https://belmarket.by/news/f5b5c2ba-ca54-413e-b533-bcfc5ce26c78) - Ретрансляция сообщения о переходе в наступление и первых успехах; независимой верификации боевых действий не содержит.
- [Third Corps Liberates Seredne: Biletsky Speaks for the First Time About Operation "Vivaldi"](https://hvylya.net/news/329089-tretiy-korpus-osvobodil-srednee-bileckiy-vpervye-rasskazal-ob-operacii-vivaldi) - Подтверждает освобождение Среднего и первое публичное раскрытие деталей операции командиром корпуса.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is Operation "Vivaldi"?
**A:** It is an offensive operation by the Third Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in northern Donetsk Oblast, launched under a regime of information silence. The corps commander, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, stated that the operation consists of "four seasons," and the current stage is only the first.

### Q: Which territories, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, have been cleared?
**A:** According to Biletsky, about 75 square kilometers have been cleared, a further 10 square kilometers deoccupied, and the village of Seredne liberated. The full list of settlements is not disclosed in the public statement.

### Q: What losses did the enemy suffer?
**A:** The command announced a crushing blow to the combat capability of Russia's 20th and 25th Armies and the relocation of fuel and lubricants deliveries to Voronezh Oblast. Specific figures of losses are not provided in the available materials and therefore cannot be independently confirmed.

### Q: How did Europe react?
**A:** German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, at the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, warned of decisive weeks and months for the defense of peace in Europe and declared steadfast support for Ukraine until the end of the war.