Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi shows why artillery still matters in a drone fight

Ukraine is using artillery systems like the US-made HIMARS in key roles to take back territory from Russia in a major new operation.

Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Artillery is playing a key role in a major operation to push back Russian forces.

Drones dominate the battlefield, but artillery is still proving indispensable.

A lead combat unit said it used heavy artillery to stop Russia from bringing up reserves, equipment, and ammo.

Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi, a major counteroffensive push to retake territory in the east, is showing that even as drones transform the battlefield , artillery remains an important tool for holding gains and keeping the enemy off balance.

Unfolding near the city of Lyman, Operation Vivaldi has relied on drones and robotic systems , as well as some new battlefield tactics, to achieve key wins, but artillery has also been important to the operation's success.

Ukrainian forces had recaptured 176 square kilometers of territory by the end of September, according to the Third Army Corps, the lead unit.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, wrote on Friday that reports indicate that Ukrainian forces "heavily relied on artillery strikes in order to prevent Russian forces from regaining lost positions during Operation Vivaldi." It said those efforts demonstrated "how artillery remains relevant even in modern, drone-dominated battlefield conditions.

" The ISW assessment cited an update from the Third Army Corps that said it had, for the purpose of executing this operation, "assembled one of the largest artillery formations of any corps — deploying so many systems per kilometer of the front that fire could be maintained continuously, even if individual guns were knocked out." The unit said its "artillery turned 'Vivaldi' into a kill zone for the enemy!" Drones worked with artillery to find targets that the artillery then destroyed, the unit said.

"The artillery deprived the enemy of the ability to maneuver or return fire, allowing the Third Corps' assault troops to keep pushing forward." It said that the 52nd Separate Artillery Brigade and the rocket artillery units of multiple brigades were able to keep multiple settlements under fire.

"Russian forces could not bring up reserves, equipment, or ammunition to try to restore their lost positions." The Third Army Corps said strikes by Ukrainian HIMARS, the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System , destroyed more than 20 artillery guns, two Buk air defense systems, and two transport-loading vehicles, and also struck Russian command posts that were at the battalion level or higher.