Cyprus News Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with soldiers conducting Operation Vivaldi at the command center of the Third Army Corps.

Zelensky said the operation was important for Ukraine’s defense, particularly for Donbas, stating, “For three seasons, the Ukrainian Defense Forces thwarted Russia’s plans to move behind the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration and stabilized the situation on this section of the front.”

Zelensky said more than 5,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and wounded and that 250 soldiers had been added to the exchange fund. He said that since the start of the offensive, Ukraine had regained control of a total of 176 square kilometers of territory.

Zelensky said plans for the fourth season of active operations were discussed during the meeting.

Zelensky also said he met with commanders of the units directly involved in the operation and that needs, including artillery units and compensation, were assessed in detail.

Zelensky said one of the priority areas was replacing soldiers with ground robotic systems wherever possible, noting that this capability had enabled many tasks to be carried out during Operation Vivaldi.

Zelensky said, “We will scale this up. This way, the most dangerous tasks on the front will increasingly be carried out by a drone instead of a soldier.”

Zelensky also presented state decorations to soldiers who took part in the operation.