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

• 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.

The beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a war of artillery, but drones quickly became a key weapon, with both militaries using them to launch attacks, gather intelligence, and help direct other weaponry.

In July, Mykhailo Fedorov, then-Ukraine's defense minister, said that drones accounted for around 95% of Russia's front-line losses.

Drones are taking on new roles, as are other robotics systems, and that's been clear throughout Operation Vivaldi. The Third Army Corps said last month that it was using aerial drones to drop explosive-laden robots behind Russian lines, saying it "was the first in the world to begin air-deploying ground robotic systems."

The success of drones has sparked debate in the West over what drones mean for more traditional weaponry like tanks and artillery. The latter appears to still have a part to play.

Ukraine is developing multiple new artillery systems, and in June, its commander-in-chief announced plans to modernize the artillery forces, describing artillery as one of the main tools on the modern battlefield.

Western analysts say artillery remains vital, especially when employed alongside a growing drone arsenal.

Analysis published by RAND last month said that while strike drones "offer unprecedented operational agility, they cannot independently solve every tactical problem." Heavy artillery has remained indispensable against hardened, protected infrastructure, they wrote.

Ben Jarvis, the UK's minister of state for security, said in June that "there are some who hold the view that we should trade everything in the locker for drones. I understand the temptation, but there are important distinctions to make."

"Even in Ukraine, amid extraordinary advances in technology, it is still a war fought in the trenches where ground is held street by street, and where the reach of artillery and deep precision strike has proven invaluable."