In recent days, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has begun to publicly discuss information that until now was known only to a few military experts, the command, and those directly involved in the events. As it turns out, for several months now, the Defense Forces have been conducting Operation “Vivaldi”—an offensive operation in northern Donetsk Oblast. All this time, they kept it under wraps so as not to violate the media “blackout.”
The name of the operation is not just a beautiful metaphor. The renowned composer Antonio Vivaldi wrote his most famous work, “The Four Seasons,” as a cycle of four violin concertos. Andriy Biletsky refers precisely to this analogy: the operation is to have “four seasons,” like the four seasons of the year, and one of the phases has already been completed—which is why it is now possible to speak about it. Judging by all accounts, three more phases lie ahead.
The “Vivaldi” military operation is taking place north of the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops have been trying to capture it for four years, ever since the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated it during the 2022 counteroffensive. Whoever controls the Lyman sector also controls the routes to Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and, in general, the northern approaches to the Donetsk metropolitan area. It is here that the Russians have been building up pressure for months, using infiltration tactics (sending in small infantry groups) in an attempt to reach the final “belt of fortresses” of the Donbas—and it was precisely this strategy of theirs that Operation “Vivaldi” was intended to thwart.
So what kind of operation was this, and did it achieve its objectives? What can we expect next? UA.News posed these questions to military experts. Read more in our article.
This is an operation of an operational-strategic scale: military expert Oleg Zhdanov
If we look strictly at the battlefield, then the scale of Operation “Vivaldi” is indeed more tactical. But if we consider the situation on the front as a whole, I would say that this is an operation of an operational-strategic scale.
On an operational level, this operation has, in essence, if not completely derailed, then certainly disrupted the Russian Federation’s current plan to capture the remaining 20% of Donetsk Oblast that we still control. Liman served as the foundation for forming the northern “claw” to encircle our last strong defensive line—Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka.
Yes, there is another line of defense behind them, but that’s where the steppe begins near Dobropillia. And it’s very difficult to hold a defense there.
That’s as far as the operational plan goes. Strategically, this operation delays Putin’s ability to come out and say, “We’ve won; we’ve captured the Donbas and achieved the objectives of the ‘special military operation.’” The political goal of this war is the capture of the Donbas. And without that, the war—excuse me—is not over. Putin simply has no reason to stop the “special military operation” now, because he would be the loser. He has not accomplished a single objective he set for himself on the night of February 24, 2022.
Therefore, in my view, this operation is of very serious significance today.
Operation “Vivaldi” is a new doctrine of warfare: military expert and commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces reconnaissance company, Denys Yaroslavskyi
With this operation—“Vivaldi”—the Armed Forces thwarted the enemy’s operational plan. We cut off their offensive capabilities. This counterattack made it possible not only to liberate territories but also to push the Russians back by 6–7 months in terms of the areas they had captured. That’s the first point.
Second, this operation was planned and executed using new knowledge and technologies to cut off logistics lines to a depth of 30 to 100 km. This made it possible to cut off power and immobilize enemy forces along this perimeter. In other words, these operations allowed us to sever logistics lines to such a depth. This is a new doctrine of warfare.
And third—let me put it this way: we have liberated more territory than was previously announced. And this process continues. But let those who deserve the credit officially announce it: Andriy Biletsky and the men of his corps.
“Vivaldi” neutralizes risks to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk: political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko
It’s important to understand that we currently lack sufficient resources and reserves. Therefore, I don’t see any possibilities for something bigger—for a major counteroffensive—within the framework of Operation “Vivaldi.”
But while the significance of this operation is operational and tactical, it is nonetheless very great. It neutralizes the risks that currently existed for Sloviansk and Kramatorsk—first and foremost, for Sloviansk, by the way. So it’s very good that such operations are taking place.
But we have to be realistic: we shouldn’t expect anything extraordinary, such as major offensive operations. We simply don’t have the resources for that right now—not just human resources, but material ones as well.
We have pushed the enemy back, forcing it to go on the defensive: military expert and retired SBU Colonel Oleg Starikov
The objective of Operation “Vivaldi” is to thwart the Russian Federation’s armed forces’ operational-strategic operation in this sector (the Lyman sector), stretching from Dobropillia to Lyman. This is the direction of the Russian Federation’s main offensive. This operation was planned by Syrsky and the Chief of the General Staff, and it began back in June.
It consisted of several phases. We are currently witnessing the main phase.
What was the objective? To cut off the enemy’s bridgehead, which loomed over the northeastern flank, over the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk fortified area. To cut it off and push the enemy back across the Zherebets River, thereby eliminating the bridgehead. This operation was planned at the highest level. Our troops managed to drive out the main enemy units through a counterattack and as part of an active defense. We pushed the enemy back, forcing them to go on the defensive.
In the near future, it is necessary, first, to clear the territory from which the enemy was driven out. Second, to deploy units there that will take the liberated area under operational control. Until then, I would not say that this operation was 100% successful. This is because the enemy will undoubtedly attempt counterattacks and a counteroffensive, trying to push our troops back to their previous positions.
Clearly, the command understands this. So until the final stage is completed, it would be premature to declare that the operation was a complete success.
Ukraine is in its strongest negotiating position in four years: military expert and retired U.S. Navy Captain Gary Tabach
It’s hard to say whether Operation “Vivaldi” will move from the tactical to the strategic level. This is war, and in war, anything is possible. I’d like to look at the situation from a different angle.
In my view, Ukraine now has its strongest negotiating position in four years. If Ukraine misses this opportunity for negotiations now—it will be your loss. The stars have aligned right now. And operations like “Vivaldi” are certainly bringing that moment closer and strengthening the negotiating position.
As for General Biletsky—I’ve spoken with him several times. He made a very good impression on me; he’s a natural-born warrior. You know, we studied Chapaev in American military academies and could never understand why people in the USSR laughed at him, made jokes about him, and told anecdotes about him. Because Chapaev was a natural-born warrior, an outstanding commander. He crushed the White Guard generals.
General Biletsky is just like that. He doesn’t have a formal military education, but he’s very knowledgeable about military affairs. And I don’t think he’ll talk about his plans—or what to expect next from his operations—to me or to journalists. We’ll keep watching and analyzing as things unfold.
But I’ll say this for sure: operations like these strengthen our negotiating position. And we need to take advantage of that.
