800+ Km² Retaken, Russian Plans Broken, 15 Km Underground—Ukraine’s 3 Major Offensives of 2026

Ukraine has carried out three major offensive operations in 2026, retaking hundreds of square kilometers of territory, disrupting Russian attack plans, and launching an extraordinary 15-kilometer underground assault behind enemy lines, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 27.

The operations highlighted by Zelenskyy were the Air Assault Forces’ offensive on the Oleksandrivka axis, Operation Vivaldi by the 3rd Army Corps, and Operation VELES on the Kupiansk axis.

The largest territorial gains came on the Oleksandrivka axis, where Ukrainian Air Assault Forces and other units have now liberated more than 800 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

As of August 12, Ukrainian forces had already retaken 745 square kilometers and 26 settlements across the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Zelenskyy said the total liberated area has since surpassed 800 square kilometers.

Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps conducted the second major operation, Vivaldi, in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian forces retook more than 200 square kilometers in areas where Russian troops had repeatedly attempted to advance.

“Our operation was precisely in those areas where the Russians had many ambitions, many plans, and carried out many assaults,” Zelenskyy said.

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War in Ukraine

Ukraine Just Wrapped Up a Four-Season Military Operation: 277 km² Cleared, 8,000 Russian Troops Eliminated

Oct 15, 2026 21:09

During Vivaldi, Ukrainian assault troops broke through Russia’s second and third defensive lines, disrupted logistics, and interfered with command and control.

Earlier reports also indicated that five settlements were liberated and more than 250 Russian troops were captured during the operation.

The third operation, VELES, was carried out on the Kupiansk axis by the 2nd Khartiia Corps of Ukraine’s National Guard together with other Defense Forces units.

Ukrainian troops used underground infrastructure to move behind Russian positions, traveling more than 15 kilometers through tunnels before emerging in the Russian rear.

More than 100 Russian troops were killed during the operation, while over 30 others were captured.

VELES also disrupted Russian plans to use gas pipelines to infiltrate behind Ukrainian defensive positions around Kupiansk.

Zelenskyy said the cumulative results of the three operations are strengthening Ukraine’s position not only on the battlefield but also at the negotiating table.

“This year, Ukraine’s positions on the front remain the strongest they have been in a long time during this war,” Zelenskyy said.

He added that Ukraine’s diplomatic leverage could be even stronger if partners maintained equally strong military support, particularly through additional Patriot interceptors and other air-defense systems.

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) calculated that Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has effectively gone into reverse in recent weeks, with Moscow losing more territory than it has captured since the beginning of September while its personnel losses continue to climb.

ISW estimated that since September 1, Russian forces have lost a net 241 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory—meaning Ukrainian gains have exceeded Russian advances by that amount.

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