According to CNBC, a surprise Ukrainian robot offensive in eastern Donbas appears to have reversed more than a year of Russian territorial gains, with security experts saying the operation has dealt a strategic blow to President Vladimir Putin's territorial ambitions. The counteroffensive, dubbed Operation Vivaldi and launched in May, has seen Ukraine's Third Army Corps deploy large bomber drones and remote-controlled robots behind Russian lines around Lyman in northern Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian Brigadier-General Andrii Biletskyi said on Sept. 28 that the third phase liberated another 51 square kilometers, bringing the total retaken area to 176 square kilometers, and that the latest fighting caused more than 2,000 Russian losses and led to over 250 Russian soldiers being taken prisoner. Defense expert Patrick Bolder said the offensive was a major setback for Putin's goal of seizing Donbas, while Serhii Kuzan of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center said the use of robotic systems is changing the logic of combat and reducing personnel losses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation and said Ukraine will expand the use of ground robotic systems so drones can increasingly handle the most dangerous front-line tasks.