Putin Retreats as UA Paratroopers LIBERATE 26+ Towns in Just 1 Operation

Three operations. One collapsing Russian offensive. This is how Ukraine quietly reversed the momentum of the war in the second half of 2026. In this video, we break down the three major counteroffensives that disrupted Russia’s 2026 war plans: the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces’ offensive on the Oleksandrivka axis (800+ km² liberated), Operation Vivaldi near Lyman in Donetsk Oblast (277 km² across four stages), and Operation Veles — the first full-scale underground counteroffensive in modern military history, fought more than 15 km beneath Russian lines near Kupiansk. We cover: – Why Russia’s plans for Dnipropetrovsk, Sloviansk/Kramatorsk, and Kupiansk fell apart – How Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces, the 3rd Army Corps, and the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps executed each operation – The tunnel warfare of Operation Veles and its echoes of Vietnam-era “tunnel rat” combat – What ISW’s territorial data shows about Russia’s September reversal – The drone attrition numbers behind Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces – The human stories behind the statistics, including the 65th Mechanized Brigade’s 320-day stand near Orikhiv Sources include the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Kyiv Independent, UNITED24 Media, Ukrainska Pravda, Militarnyi, and The Wall Street Journal. Casualty and territorial figures are primarily sourced from Ukrainian military and government statements, cross-checked against independent trackers where possible; these figures are disputed by Russian officials and cannot be independently verified in real time. This video is for educational and informational purposes, covering publicly reported developments in the Russia-Ukraine #Ukraine #Russia #UkraineWar #RussiaUkraineWar #Oleksandrivka #OperationVivaldi #OperationVeles #Donetsk #Kupiansk #Lyman #Zaporizhzhia #Dnipr opetrovsk #Kramatorsk #AirAssaultForces #UkrainianArmy #ISW #WarNews #MilitaryHistory #DroneWarfare #Geopolitics