‘Operation Vivaldi’: Ukraine unleashes air-dropped kamikaze robots to send Putin’s forces running

Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps has spent months quietly wearing down Putin’s forces in Donetsk Oblast, and it seems like a special new tactic is playing a key part in the advance.

According to the 3rd Army Corps’ commander, Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, Operation Vivaldi, as it is called, has so far liberated 125 square kilometers from Russian occupation in the highly contested Donetsk Oblast, and—perhaps unsurprisingly—the use of UAVs and UGVs plays a huge role.

In an update on the operation, General Biletskyi said:

“During assault operations, UAVs and ground robotic systems always move ahead of the infantry. The 3rd Army Corps was the first in the world to begin deploying ground robotic systems by air. Our heavy bombers deliver Kamikaze ground robotic systems more than 10 kilometers behind enemy lines.”

The information has not been independently verified, but some interesting footage first appeared online in mid-July.

The July-video

The footage allegedly showing a UGV being airlifted by a UAV started to appear on Russian Telegram channels. It was later widely reported by various outlets.

While Operation Vivaldi has been ongoing since May, the footage of the drone being airlifted is not believed to be part of the operation, at least not officially.

Military analysts instead view the July footage as an isolated experiment, testing proof of concept before applying the tactics on a larger scale.

The editorial team has not been able to find any verified footage showing the tactic being used on a larger scale.

Hundreds killed

According to Biletskyi, electronic warfare units are used to build an air shield over the combat zone, the air-dropped platforms strike supply hubs, logistics carriers, and hidden positions.

The Russian forces failed to spot the assault before the Ukrainian forces had already taken their new positions, due to the Russian radars and surveillance systems being jammed during the Ukrainian advance.

The fighting has taken a heavy toll on the enemy units. According to official statements from the corps, recent actions killed 800 Russian soldiers, pushing total personnel losses across two operational seasons above 3,000.

The numbers have not been independently verified.

Operation Vivaldi

Ukrainian troops have spent months quietly pushing Russian units back in the woodlands north of Lyman, out of public view.

Last week, the commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps put a name on that campaign and said the fighting is nowhere near finished.

Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi told reporters the corps had been running a phased offensive in northern Donetsk Oblast that his staff had codenamed after Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, with three further phases still to come.

The corps said in a statement that the first phase cleared 75 square kilometers of Russian troops in northern Donetsk Oblast and de-occupied another 10 square kilometers.

Ukrainian units retook Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova, the outskirts of Korovyi Yar, and the village of Serednie. Donetsk Oblast is part of the Donbas, the eastern industrial region Russia demands Ukraine cede as part of any settlement.

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation