Ukrainian Forces Clear Seredne Settlement in Donetsk Region Without Losses: How Operation Vivaldi Changed the Front Line

Ukrainian defense forces have fully cleared and taken control of the settlement of Seredne (Srednee) in the Donetsk region. This was announced on September 19, 2026, by the commander of the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, callsign "Bacon," as reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the Telegram channel of the Third Army Corps. According to the battalion commander, the special operation "Vivaldi" was carried out without any losses among Ukrainian fighters — a fact the commander himself attributes to the quality of planning and the level of support at every stage of the operation.

Preparation: High Ground and a Bridgehead

The liberation of Seredne was preceded by extensive preparatory work. On the approaches to the settlement lay a ridge of dominant high ground with key strongpoints that had previously been held by Russian forces. From these positions the enemy had full observation over both the approaches to the settlement and nearly its entire territory. Ukrainian defenders first seized a bridgehead, then methodically cleared each strongpoint. On certain sections the fighters advanced stealthily, used smoke screens, and conducted operations inside gas masks, which significantly complicated the task but allowed them to act in conditions where the enemy might deploy chemical agents.

Deception Tactics and Drone Logistics

After capturing the high ground, the clearing of the first street of Seredne began. To supply ammunition, food, water, and medical supplies, the fighters established logistics using unmanned aerial vehicles and stockpiled reserves in cellars discovered within the settlement. At the same time, Ukrainian teams set ambushes directly inside the settlement to mislead the enemy. Russian forces sent in as reinforcements or for rotation were systematically destroyed on the approaches to already-occupied positions. Commander "Bacon" emphasizes: "When you complete the mission with minimal or no losses — that is a matter of the level of planning, the level of support, and the level of execution. The better we do our job, the more lives of our guys we will be able to save."

Armored Vehicles in Impassable Terrain

To deliver infantry to the objective, two BTR-13s and a T-74 tank were deployed. Due to torrential rains and impassable terrain, the vehicles could not retreat along standard routes. The fighters welded spikes made of rebar onto the tracks on site to improve traction on the ground. This allowed them to close in on the enemy positions at point-blank range across a section that had been considered impassable. Russian forces had expected an assault exclusively from the direction of the road, where anti-tank weapons had been deployed. Ukrainian armor caught the enemy off guard by approaching from the other side, disembarked the infantry, and withdrew without obstruction.

Context of Operation Vivaldi and the Overall Front Situation

The clearing of Seredne was part of the large-scale special operation "Vivaldi," within which Ukrainian defenders liberated territory in the Donetsk region exceeding the area of the city of Zhytomyr, eliminated the enemy's camouflaged forces, and created a bridgehead for further active operations. As Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported, the operation broke the northern "pincer" maneuver of Russian troops. Recently, the defense forces have achieved a series of successes on several sections of the front: the Armed Forces of Ukraine improved their positions in the Donbas and pushed back Russian units near Kupiansk, thwarting the enemy's new offensive plans.

Contradictory Data

The claim of a complete absence of losses among Ukrainian fighters is a self-report by the unit commander and has not been confirmed by an independent source. In a military context, the phrase "without losses" may mean the absence of combat casualties (killed and wounded), but does not rule out non-combat or technical incidents. Moreover, the original text mentions specific types of equipment — the BTR-13 and the T-74 tank — which are not standard designations in open sources on Ukrainian Armed Forces armaments. Additional sources (Objectiv.tv, 24tv.ua, Fakty.com.ua) confirm the fact of the counteroffensive and Operation Vivaldi, but do not detail the composition of the equipment deployed at the level of an individual unit. The name of the settlement appears in Ukrainian sources as "Seredne," and in Russian-language transcription as "Srednee."