Operation Vivaldi: GUR Stormtrooper Describes Preparations

Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. Illustrative photo: Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook

Artan, a special unit of the GUR, prepared for the operation ViValdi on the north of Donetsk region for about a month to a month and a half. Primarily, the soldiers practiced interaction within their group. Each fighter had to know who works with what, where, and how.

In an interview with News.LIVE journalist Yasia Lepska, the call sign Derun, a assault trooper of the GUR MO Ukraine’s special unit Arthan, spoke.

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How the troops prepared for the ViValdi operation

According to Derun, first of all the fighters needed to work out interaction between members of their own group. The soldiers had to know well the work of each other and understand who is responsible for what during the mission.

“The very first thing that needs to be practiced is the interaction within your own group. So that my entire group, with whom I go, is well coordinated. They knew each person what they work with, where they work, and how they work. That is the very first thing to be done,” the GUR assault trooper said.

“Derun” noted that for this the troops carried out coordination training for roughly a month or a month and a half. He explained that that much time was spent on preparing for the operation:

“We prepared. We had about such coordination, roughly about a month, maybe one and a half. About that much time it cost us for this operation.”

The journalist clarified whether this meant that over the course of a month or a month and a half the fighters prepared for different scenarios during the operation. Derun confirmed: “Yes, exactly.”

When improvisation was required during ViValdi

During the ViValdi operation the GUR fighters had to improvise due to enemy actions. One of the most difficult moments was the dense work of drones, mortars, and artillery on the group after its landing. At the same time, due to the threat from enemy drones, sometimes it took about 15 minutes to complete the mission.

According to Derun, unforeseen situations could also arise at the very start of the operation—from the moment the group landed in an armored vehicle to its disembarkation. In particular, the enemy could intercept the vehicle and detonate it, after which the fighters would have to retreat.

After landing, according to the assault trooper, one of the main threats was the heavy enemy fire on the group. During the operation drones, mortar teams, and artillery were working on the fighters:

“After we landed, the first thing that could go wrong is the intense enemy activity on my team. That is what we had, when the enemy began lighting us up with drones and mortar teams that were nearby. That is, the artillery worked very quickly against us.”

Derun said that during the operation one of the fighters in his group was initially wounded, and then later killed. He said the evacuation of the wounded was not possible because the enemy concentrated around the group.

At the same time the fighters managed to reach cover and open fire from there. Other Ukrainian soldiers tried to hold back the enemy, but they did not have time to reach the group and ensure a joint withdrawal with the wounded.

“And it happened that in my group there was initially a third-degree casualty, and then later it became a second-degree casualty, because we could not evacuate, since the enemy around us concentrated all attention. And we, for example, managed to take shelter, dig in somewhere to shoot back. But our people who were breaking through the enemy’s defense, they didn’t have enough time to reach us and to allow us to retreat together with the wounded.”

How difficult was ViValdi operation

In response to a question about the operation’s difficulty, Derun noted that one of the main factors were the enemy drones. According to him, under certain conditions they could restrict the ability of Ukrainian drones to operate, so the fighters had to either wait or act as fast as possible.

“It is hard because they don’t let drones operate under certain conditions. You need either to wait or to work so fast that the drones don’t have time to rise,” the GUR fighter said.

The assault trooper explained that the average time for an enemy drone to fly is about 15 minutes. In that time the fighters had to work on well-fortified enemy positions and then immediately take cover, because the enemy could quickly open fire.

News.LIVE reported that 20 September 2026 year the Third Army Corps reported the liberation of Shandrygolov, Derilov, and the establishment of full control over Drobyshiv within ViValdi operation. Over two seasons of the offensive operation, Ukrainian troops regained control of 125 sq. km of territory, of which 50 sq. km were de-occupied. The corps also stated the elimination of about 800 Russian military personnel and total losses of the Russian side over 3000 military personnel including those killed and captured.

News.LIVE also wrote that 19 September 2026 year the Third Army Corps released footage of striking Russian trucks with ammunition, provisions, fuel, and personnel during the ViValdi operation. Strikes on Russia’s logistics facilities were carried out at a considerable distance from the frontline. The operation continues on the Lyman direction in Donetsk region.