https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/ukraine-s-operation-vivaldi-foils-russia-s-plan-to-encircle-the-donbas-isw-analysis-showsContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/ukraine-s-operation-vivaldi-foils-russia-s-plan-to-encircle-the-donbas-isw-analysis-showshttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/ukraine-s-operation-vivaldi-foils-russia-s-plan-to-encircle-the-donbas-isw-analysis-shows#u132180Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:46:16 +0000Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi has disrupted Russian efforts to advance toward the strategic Fortress Belt in Donetsk Oblast, collapsing the northern arm of a Russian pincer movement. The counteroffensive on the Lyman axis pushed Russian forces back in the northern Donbas, blocking the encirclement of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Institute for the Study of War analysts indicated the operation shows mechanized assaults remain viable despite heavy drone surveillance. Ukrainian forces spent months targeting supply lines before deploying tanks and armed ground robots.Why it mattersRussia recorded i