STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Ukraine has launched a new military offensive against Russian invaders, deploying the latest technology and an ironic name.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The offensive is named after a classical composer, and it's designed to endure on a battlefield where human beings can hardly survive. It uses both drones and robots.
INSKEEP: NPR's Joanna Kakissis is following this from Kyiv. Hi, Joanna.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: How does this offensive work?
KAKISSIS: So this is part of a complex counteroffensive near the eastern city of Lyman. Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps planned it for months. The military says its soldiers used electronic warfare and aerial drones to blind Russian reconnaissance, and then they destroyed Russian firepower and supply routes. And then after that they sent in land robots, which are these unmanned ground vehicles that look like small trucks, to weaken Russian positions. And then assault groups went in to clear those positions. Now, the Ukrainians say they took back roughly 68 square miles. And that's about three times the size of Manhattan.
INSKEEP: OK. Sounds impressive, although we should note there have been offensive and counteroffensives before and the lines maybe don't move, ultimately, that much. Is this operation still underway?
KAKISSIS: Well, yes, it is. The commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Andriy Biletskyi, said last month that the counteroffensive is called Operation Vivaldi. It's a reference to the Italian composer's famous violin concertos, "The Four Seasons." And you've probably heard it. (Vocalizing).
INSKEEP: (Vocalizing).
KAKISSIS: You know it.
INSKEEP: Exactly. Yeah.
KAKISSIS: Many people know it. And Biletskyi says this counteroffensive is just in its first season. And now, in this video by the 3rd Army Corps, a soldier who uses the call sign Jackson, as is customary in the Ukrainian military - he says they continue to destroy Russian troops there.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JACKSON: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying, "as soon as they appear on our land, we catch up to them very quickly, and we neutralize them."
INSKEEP: What makes this movement important?
KAKISSIS: Well, it's happening in the Donbas region, which Russia has been fighting since 2014 to take from Ukraine. Russia occupies much of the region but is pressing for Ukraine to give up the rest of it as part of any peace deal. Ukraine has refused. Operation Vivaldi shows that a Russian sweep of Donbas is not inevitable and that the Ukrainians can make breakthroughs on a battlefield that is just saturated with drones.
INSKEEP: Joanna, I just want to remember that Russian missiles and drones continue flying over that front line and continue hitting Ukrainian cities.
KAKISSIS: Yeah. That's right. Just yesterday, there was a - just this horrific strike on a public bus in Kramatorsk. This is one of two fortress cities in the Donbas that the Ukrainians still control. The Russians dropped guided aerial bombs on the city, hitting the bus. And at least 30 people were killed, and dozens more were injured, according to local authorities.
INSKEEP: How are people managing those continued attacks on civilians?
KAKISSIS: Well, you know, some are leaving cities that are under attack. And that includes Kyiv, where I live. And Ukrainian authorities say Russian strikes are also destroying energy and water facilities, causing outages and shortages. The Ukrainians say it's part of a wider campaign by Russia to make Ukrainian cities unlivable.
INSKEEP: OK. NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv. Thanks for the update.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
