Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps has recaptured 51 square kilometers in the third phase of Operation Vivaldi in northern Donetsk, according to the corps’ commander. Total gains since the operation began now stand at 176 square kilometers.

Brig.-Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said Ukrainian forces liberated the villages of Nove, Ridkodub, and Katerynivka, and restored control over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka. He credited a deception feint toward Shandryholove while the main strike hit Nove.

Ukrainian claims for the phase include more than 2,000 Russian casualties and over 250 Russian soldiers captured for prisoner exchange. The corps says converted BTR-60 armored vehicles were used as kamikaze ground vehicles alongside ground robots.

The Institute for the Study of War assessed that the Ukrainian advance disrupted Russia’s effort to encircle Ukraine’s “fortress belt” cities in the east. Russia made no immediate comment on the reported losses, and Ukrainian battlefield claims have not been independently verified. Ukrainian forces have said Operation Vivaldi aims to roll back months of Russian pressure in the sector.