Ukraine Liberates Two Villages in Donetsk Offensive

Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated the settlements of Shandryholove and Derylove in the Lyman municipality of Donetsk region and established full control over the nearby village of Drobysheve, military officials and reported on Sunday, Sept. 20. The advances were achieved during the second phase of an offensive operation codenamed “Vivaldi,” commanded by Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, according to Corps Commander Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Ukrainian analytical mapping project DeepState confirmed the operational gains on Sunday, reporting that Ukrainian forces liberated Shandryholove and Derylove while securing additional tactical positions surrounding Shandryholove. According to a statement by the press service of the 3rd Army Corps, Ukrainian combat units operating across the first and second phases of the operation have recovered 125 square kilometers of territory, formally de-occupying 50 square kilometers. Biletsky reported that Russian military casualties during the offensive have exceeded 3,000 personnel across both phases, including roughly 800 Russian soldiers killed in recent engagements. The commander noted that the offensive actions have systematically degraded the operational capacity of three Russian combined-arms formations deployed along the axis: the 20th Combined Arms Army, the 25th Combined Arms Army, and the 1st Guards Tank Army. Robotic ground assault tactics A central operational feature of the offensive involved the integration of automated strike platforms and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) operating ahead of assault infantry formations. Other Topics of Interest Russia Offering Tours of ‘Sites of Military Glory’ in Donetsk and Kursk The governor of Russia’s Kursk region is the latest to suggest that tours of areas linked to combat operations in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. “During assault operations, UAVs and robotic ground complexes always advance ahead of the infantry,” Biletsky said. “The 3rd Army Corps became the first in the world to begin air-dropping unmanned ground complexes. Our heavy bomber drones deliver kamikaze robotic platforms more than 10 kilometers into the enemy’s rear.” The corps command detailed that tube artillery, rocket artillery, and unmanned aerial strike wings conducted continuous preparatory strikes against Russian tactical command centers, communications nodes, logistic transport routes, river crossings, and mobilization reserves. Concurrently, integrated air defense units and electronic warfare regiments established an electronic countermeasure shield over the operational theater, masking Ukrainian offensive troop movements and preventing Russian reconnaissance drones from identifying maneuver axes prior to the assault. The operation involved organic corps brigades alongside attached specialized formations, including the 60th Mechanized Brigade, the 125th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, a battalion tactical group from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, the 21st Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment “Kraken,” the 3rd Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 25th Separate Anti-Tank Battalion. Attached external units included the 66th Mechanized Brigade, the 85th tactical group of the 8th Special Operations Forces (SSO) Regiment, the “Artan” special operations unit of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), and the 10th “Dozor” Mobile Border Detachment. Leadership transitions within Ground Forces command The battlefield advances along the Lyman operational direction follow high-level structural changes across Ukraine’s military leadership aimed at accelerating combat innovation and tactical decentralization. On Sept. 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Major General Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, appointing Brigadier General Sviatoslav Zaits to head the service branch under presidential decrees No. 852/2026 and No. 853/2026. Zaits, an Air Assault Forces veteran, previously served as commander of Ukraine’s 20th Army Corps defending the eastern axis in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Zaits had been promoted to brigadier general in May 2026 following operational reviews with Zelensky regarding frontline equipment modernization, counter-drone requirements, and strike coordination. Shapovalov had served as Ground Forces commander since June 2025 following senior postings within NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission in Wiesbaden, Germany, and prior commands of Operational Command South and the Tavria joint grouping of forces. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.