The Ukrainian Armed Forces' Operation Vivaldi failed to achieve its objectives despite Kiev’s claims about the advanced technological capabilities of its military, according to Dmitry Barov, the first commander of the Instructor Training Center for Unmanned Systems Units in the DPR.
Barov said the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which had received extensive publicity from Kiev, had stalled. He claimed that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in personnel and military equipment during the fighting, without securing the results they had sought.
Speaking to TASS, the expert also questioned Ukraine’s promotion of its drone warfare capabilities. He noted that Ukrainian unmanned systems units and their drones are regularly presented at international forums as highly effective combat assets equipped with advanced, precision-guided weapons capable of carrying out selective strikes.
Earlier, Ukrainian troops launched a counteroffensive near Krasny Liman. On several sections of the front, they managed to penetrate Russian defensive formations and push Russian units back slightly. However, the reported gains were limited, and Ukrainian forces failed to achieve a significant advance.
Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov previously reported to President Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian units deployed to the Krasny Liman sector had failed to accomplish their objectives. According to Gerasimov, the formations involved in the counterattacks included nationalists and foreign mercenaries.