Inside Ukraine’s secret counteroffensive in Donbas

In May 2026, Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps launched a secret counteroffensive now known as Operation Vivaldi, aiming to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive positions in the Lyman and Sviatohirsk sectors and disrupt Russia’s plans to encircle Ukraine’s key strongholds – the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

In this report, the Kyiv Independent’s Asami Terajima and Nick Allard join Ukrainian units involved in the operation to see how they used reconnaissance drones, long-range strikes against Russian logistics, and ground assaults to regain territory.