Ukraine, not Russia, has held the initiative in key sectors of the frontline for much of the year. Ukrainian forces have decisively defeated the main Russian offensive intended to complete the seizure of Donetsk Oblast in 2026. Ukrainian forces operationally defeated the Russian northern pincer in the Lyman direction and defeated the Russian military command’s plan to conduct a wide encirclement of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt. Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi resulted in the liberation of around 277 square kilometers and 16 settlements north and northeast of Lyman over four phases that Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps Commander Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi began announcing in September 2026, although the operation likely began around March 2026.