Video: Soldiers from the 66th Brigade Reveal Details of the Liberation of Serednye During Operation Vivaldi
Service members of the 66th Brigade took part in Operation “Vivaldi” in the Lyman sector. Ukrainian troops entered Seredne, despite the Russian military’s conviction that such an attack was impossible.
This was reported during a live stream on Army TV by the deputy commander of the 1st Mechanized Battalion “Kassta” of the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, whose call sign is “Timokha.”
According to him, the Russian military, which had been successful in this sector, did not expect a Ukrainian counterattack.
They were convinced that the terrain would prevent the Defense Forces from entering the settlement and conducting operations there.
“The enemy, having achieved success in this sector, did not expect that there might be a counterattack or an offensive in response. In fact, they didn’t expect us to be able to enter this settlement and conduct any operations there at all, as they were convinced that the terrain would prevent us from doing so,” “Timokha” said.
The soldier noted that preparations for the operation took a considerable amount of time, as the settlement had many basements and buildings that needed to be searched.
“Preparing for the operation took some time—not just a day or two—because it was a settlement with a great many basements and buildings that needed to be checked,” he explained.
According to “Timokha,” Ukrainian fighters spent a long time conducting reconnaissance, locating the enemy, and inflicting fire damage on them to minimize casualties and resistance for the assault teams.
“It took a very long time to conduct reconnaissance, identify the enemy, and inflict as much fire damage as possible so that they would suffer losses and offer the least possible resistance to our assault teams.
All of this was carried out systematically, with firepower applied in stages using UAVs, heavy bombers, and artillery,” the soldier said.
He added that allied units were also involved in the operation. The advance was gradual—moving from one building to the next, clearing out basements and neutralizing enemy firing positions.
“Of course, allied units were also brought in to assist. Everything proceeded gradually, step by step, from one small house to the next; basements were searched, and fire was applied. Since at least an enemy platoon was present in the settlement, so we had to work a bit, both to help the guys who were also facing enemy resistance and to inflict fire damage using artillery and UAVs,” noted “Timokha.”
The soldier confirmed that after the liberation of Serednye, Russian forces attempted to retake their lost positions.
According to him, these attempts were minor, and Ukrainian troops eliminated the enemy even on the outskirts of the settlement.
“Of course, the Russians had already made attempts to recapture their lost positions—small-scale ones, but they were there. And thanks to our planning and the support provided by corps-level assets, everything was eliminated on the outskirts, preventing large numbers of enemy forces from reaching the settlement,” said the deputy battalion commander.
Separately, “Timokha” spoke about the Russian side’s reaction to the videos that the Ukrainian military released after the operation.
According to him, the Russians tried to discredit the information about the liberation of Seredne, claiming that the Ukrainians had allegedly used artificial intelligence.
“We observed their response to the videos we posted showing that the town of Seredne had been liberated; they’re trying to discredit all of this, claiming that we used artificial intelligence—which is impossible,” the officer noted.
He also compared this reaction to the situation surrounding Svyatogorsk, where the Russian dictator’s claims about the capture of the city were refuted by Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the 3rd Army Corps.
“And just as their leader recently reported that Svyatogorsk had been liberated, and Mr. Andriy Biletsky refuted that information. The Russians want the same thing with this town—they want their people, who are there on their territory, not to believe it and for no one to capture anything,” said “Timokha.”
Source: Army Media
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