The 60th Inhulets Separate Mechanized Brigade successfully transitioned from severe defensive setbacks and disciplinary failures to spearheading offensive operations in the Lyman sector by early 2026, following a comprehensive command overhaul executed by Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps.
Command Reshuffle and Internal Reform by the 3rd Army Corps
Faced with mounting territory losses and severe disciplinary breakdowns, the 3rd Army Corps integrated the 60th Brigade into its operational structure during its 2025 formation. Unlike other corps that distributed subordinate brigades across disparate regions, the 3rd Army Corps assumed direct command of units already stationed in the Lyman sector. In October 2025, military auditors intervened as the brigade faced catastrophic rates of unauthorized absences and acute shortages in unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities. Colonel Andriy Borovin, the former commander of the 60th Brigade, was relieved of his post and subsequently arrested in January 2026 on corruption charges related to drone procurement.
3rd Assault Brigade Personnel Restore 60th Brigade Discipline
Dozens of experienced officers and personnel from the 3rd Assault Brigade transferred into the 60th Brigade in the autumn of 2025 to restore operational discipline. Junior officers, including 1st Battalion Commander call sign “Judo,” reported that incoming soldiers had previously faced administrative abandonment upon arrival, exacerbating desertion rates. Following the intervention, the brigade restructured its training pipeline, processed a surplus of willing recruits, and established secure logistic pathways that reduced vulnerability during active combat rotations.
60th Brigade Launches Operation Vivaldi in Lyman Sector
By the winter of 2026, the 3rd Army Corps halted the Russian advance in the Lyman sector, establishing the conditions required to launch Operation Vivaldi. Operating under modified tactical doctrines that prioritized operational concealment and technological integration over massed infantry charges, the 60th Brigade transitioned to the offensive. Battalion commanders reported that enemy forces continued executing uncoordinated mechanised assaults despite facing disrupted mortar and drone networks. Tactical engagements along key logistic supply routes yielded verified local casualty disparities in favor of advancing Ukrainian units, neutralizing a northern pincers maneuver intended to threaten Donetsk Oblast from the strategic heights of Lyman.
