Butusov: Meticulous planning and exemplary coordination between units were key factors in success of Operation ’Vivaldi’
Yurii Butusov, commander of the UAV company of the 23rd Assault Regiment within the National Guard’s 2nd Corps "Khartiia", believes that the key factor in the success of the Ukrainian Defence Forces’ operation, codenamed "Vivaldi", was, above all, meticulous planning.
He made these remarks during an interview with journalist Iryna Romaliiska on the YouTube channel "Butusov.Plus", reports Censor.NET.
The operation has been ongoing for almost a year
The commander noted that the operation to eliminate the enemy’s bridgehead in the north of the Donetsk region had lasted almost a year under a veil of secrecy.
At the same time, the enemy did not realise until the very end that its forces were under siege.
"The operation has been underway throughout this year, but information about it has only just emerged. All this time, the enemy had absolutely no idea, at either the operational or strategic level, of what was happening… It simply wasn’t reported; there were no changes on the DeepState map. The enemy misinformed itself through its own channels: the Russians claimed they were on the verge of capturing Lyman, that street fighting was allegedly already underway there, that the city was semi-encircled, and that their offensive on Izium was continuing successfully. Our command, however — the Third Army Corps — did not refute this in any way; there were no denials of the Russian claims... It is only recently that the Russians have finally realised that the large bridgehead they managed to establish on the western bank of the Chornyi Zherebets River is, in fact, already completely blockaded," said Butusov.
Factors for success
According to the military official, the success of the operation is primarily down to meticulous planning.
"At the heart of this success lies precisely that meticulous planning. In other words, for the first time on such a scale, the enemy has been cut off and driven out of an area of almost 80 km². That is a fairly large area that has been recaptured from the enemy, which they had indeed previously occupied. 80 km² have been cut off. And all this was done gradually, step by step, without any large-scale assaults involving massive forces. "In other words, no large columns were deployed… On a few occasions, small armoured groups were deployed in specific locations and paratroopers were dropped, but our infantry tactics were primarily used to counter enemy infiltration," the commander explained.
Butusov also noted that, at the operational level, coordination between UAV units, infantry, electronic warfare units, radio-electronic reconnaissance units and artillery was exemplary.
"Great attention was paid, first and foremost, to combating the enemy’s unmanned aerial vehicle positions, neutralising the positions of Russian drone operators, and suppressing and destroying Russian artillery. Particular attention was also paid to the complete isolation of the combat zone and the deep-strike disruption of the enemy’s logistical routes. And so these comprehensive efforts, which were planned and organised by the corps and implemented by numerous brigades and attached units, led over the course of several months not merely to a turning point in the fighting, but to the complete rout of the enemy and the full clearance of the bridgehead on the western bank of the Chornyi Zherebets," said the military officer.
What is known about Operation ‘Vivaldi’ and the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive in the northern Donetsk region
- Ukrainian forces carried out an offensive operation in the north of Donetsk Oblast in the Lyman area. Defence forces managed to liberate the village of Seredne and clear Novoselivka, Oleksandrivka, Yarova and Koroviy Yar of Russian infantry.
- The ‘Vivaldi’ offensive operation involved units from the 60th Separate Mechanised Brigade, the 125th Separate Heavy Mechanised Brigade, a battalion tactical group from the 3rd Assault Brigade, the corps’ 3rd Separate Reconnaissance and 25th Separate Anti-Tank Battalions, the 66th Separate Mechanised Brigade, the 85th Tactical Group of the 8th Special Operations Regiment, the Main Intelligence Directorate’s special unit "Artan", and the 10th Border Guard Detachment "Dozor".
