Ukraine reports 51-square-kilometer gain near Lyman

Ukraine’s Third Army Corps says its forces retook 51 square kilometers in the latest phase of Operation Vivaldi near Lyman, bringing the reported territory recovered during the operation to 176 square kilometers. The corps’ commander, Andrii Biletskyi, said the fighting also resulted in more than 250 Russian personnel being captured. The figures have not been independently verified in the reporting. Biletskyi said Ukrainian forces captured Nove, Ridkodub and Katerynivka and restored control over Karpivka and Novomykhailivka. The corps described the latest fighting as the operation’s third phase. Its account characterized Nove as an important position on the bridgehead, with nearby high ground contributing to control of the area. According to Biletskyi, Ukrainian forces used a feint toward the Shandryholove-Zelena Dolyna area to draw Russian reserves into counterattacks there, while concentrating their main effort on Nove. He also said converted Soviet-era BTR-60 armored personnel carriers were used as unmanned explosive vehicles against fortified Russian positions. The account did not provide independent evidence establishing the effect of those tactics.