The Western Group of Forces of the Russian Armed Forces utilized the heavy flamethrower system TOS-1 Solntsepyok to eliminate a concentration of Ukrainian ground forces near Krasny Liman, marking a major Russian counterattack and the crushing of the Ukrainian initiative codenamed «Operation Vivaldi», as revealed on October 8 by the American geostrategic publication Military Watch Magazine.
Russian forces rely heavily on these systems to destroy fortified enemy forces, particularly in heavily fortified positions in the Lyman sector, where the Ukrainians have been attempting a tactical counterattack since the last week of September.
Commenting on the operation, the commander of a special operations group from the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Unit of the 25th Combined Arms Army noted: «We received orders to eliminate enemy personnel near Krasny Liman.
Notably, during the Russian... thermobaric ambush, the Ukrainian armed forces were preparing to conduct a personnel rotation or potentially launch some form of counterattack.
«We advanced, completed the mission with minimal adjustments, and performed with excellence», the Russian commander noted tellingly...
The overwhelming advantage of Russian thermobaric weapons and the targeting of Ukrainian drone units
The commander added that the primary targets of the TOS-1 system are temporary staging areas, drone command posts, and personnel concentrations.
When the vehicle takes up position, electronic warfare and air defense units commence operations in its support to protect it against drone attacks, he added.
This is necessary due to the relatively short range of the systems compared to other rocket artillery assets, as well as the high priority assigned by Ukrainian forces to targeting them.
Russian thermobaric artillery systems have attracted substantial attention due to their combat performance in the Ukrainian theater of operations, with their munitions functioning by dispersing an aerosol cloud of chemicals into the air, which is then ignited by a vacuum explosive, unleashing a high-pressure blast wave that pulls air out of enclosed spaces with immense force.
The result is pulmonary rupture for everyone situated in the surrounding area.
The new, advanced TOS-2 revolutionized thermobaric weapons
While the TOS-1A thermobaric system employs tracked launchers based on the chassis of the T-72 battle tank, a wheeled counterpart to the system, the TOS-2, was unveiled in 2020 and plays an expanding role in the combat effort in the Ukrainian theater of operations.
The TOS-2 has been reported by local sources to have exceeded the range of an offensive weapon and is capable of operating as an advanced fire support system.
Commenting on the capabilities of the new system, state defense technology corporation Rostec announced: «As a rule, following such a salvo, the assault group has nothing left to do in the area, there is simply no enemy remaining to offer resistance.
Thus, the TOS-2 retains the thermobaric weapon capabilities of its big brother, the tracked TOS-1 Solntsepyok system».
Russian state sources in April reported ongoing progress in efforts to enhance the capabilities of the series.
And... Surovikin in the major Lyman operation?
Meanwhile, the return of prominent Russian military figure Sergey Surovikin from Africa to Moscow brings sweeping developments to the Ukrainian fronts, as Russian headquarters devises a plan for the expedited deployment of «General Armageddon» to the Krasny Liman sector, where the Ukrainians are conducting counteroffensive thrusts under the codename «Operation Vivaldi», as revealed by Russian outlet Lenta on October 7.
Speaking to the Russian outlet, military analyst Viktor Baranets did not rule out the possibility that Surovikin could be dispatched to the Krasny Liman sector, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to create «points of tension», or, alternatively, to the Slovyansk area, where the strategic battle of the year could unfold.
Baranets emphasized that keeping such a specialist away from the battlefield would be paradoxical.
«Russia and its military need such generals», noted the observer.
It is pointed out that sporadic Ukrainian raids from the forested expanses of Lyman constitute the final obstacle to the total dominance of Russian forces in Donetsk, and the immense accumulated strategic experience of Surovikin could serve as a valuable instrument to halt them.
In any case, «General Armageddon» is expected to play a decisive role in Moscow's operation to conclude the Donbass affair, and his involvement in Moscow's autumn-winter military offensive, which will decide the ultimate outcome of the war, should not be ruled out...
Unprecedented Russian plan to deploy Surovikin to the Krasny Liman front
Following the completion of his mission in Algeria, Russian Army General Sergey Surovikin returned to Moscow, as reported more specifically by Lenta.ru on October 7.
Military observer Viktor Baranets disclosed details of his return and his future plans in an interview with Tsargrad.
According to the expert, «General Armageddon» is remembered as one of Russia's sternest military leaders in recent years.
His harsh and daring military operations continue to haunt the Ukrainian side, and his impending return directly suggests a shift in Russia's combat doctrine.
Baranets emphasized that keeping such a specialist away from the battlefield would be paradoxical.
Moscow also considers deploying Surovikin to Slovyansk
«Russia and its military need such generals», noted the observer.
He did not rule out the possibility that Surovikin might be dispatched to the Krasny Liman sector, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) continue to create «points of tension», or to the Slovyansk area, where the strategic battle of the year could take place, likely deciding the outcome of the entire war as well.
Baranets added that the capture of Krasny Liman and the clearing of roads leading to Slovyansk would open new horizons for the Russian military.
And the experience of Surovikin would be invaluable in this matter, the expert concluded.
«Such generals do not sit on the couch»
According to information from diverse sources, the former chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Sergey Surovikin, completed his mission in Algeria and returned to Moscow.
In the view of military analyst and former press secretary of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Colonel Viktor Baranets, it would be strange not to return such a general to the fronts of the Special Military Operation.
«Such generals do not sit on the couch.
Such generals are indispensable to Russia and its army», maintains the Russian military expert.
In his view, it is entirely possible that right now in the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense «they are thinking very seriously about how to integrate the figure of Surovikin, a tough, decisive, and formidable military commander, into the conditions currently taking shape on the battlefield».
Why Operation Vivaldi cannot reverse the outcome of the fighting
It is noted that the Ukrainian «Operation Vivaldi» along the Krasny Liman axis constitutes one of the most intriguing operations of the autumn of 2026, not so much due to the scale of territorial shifts, but due to how it was organized.
The operation blended deception, strikes on the Russian logistical chain, extensive utilization of unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and relatively small assault teams in an attempt to contract the Russian bridgehead north and northeast of Lyman.
As of October 7, however, the picture is more complex than the narrative of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive supposedly upending balances across Donbass.
Ukrainian forces have scored certain localized successes and compelled the Russian side to abandon, temporarily, positions acquired at some tactical cost during the preceding period.
On the other hand, no operational breakthrough of the Russian front has occurred, nor has Russian pressure toward Slovyansk and Kramatorsk been eliminated.
This exact distinction between tactical success and strategic effect is key to evaluating Vivaldi.
Kyiv will pay... a very heavy price for the assault on Lyman
Overall, even if Kyiv achieved a partial tactical adjustment of the frontline, it risks paying a disproportionate price should it attempt to convert this success into a deep penetration.
As long as the operation was limited to clearing forward Russian positions, conditions were favorable to the Ukrainian side.
Yet if the objective becomes breaching the main Russian defenses and advancing toward Kreminna or deeper toward Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, requirements in manpower, ammunition, and reserves rise sharply.
In this sense, Operation Vivaldi can be considered successful for what it is, namely a public relations fireworks display, but far more questionable as a strategic endeavor.
Moscow can absorb the loss of an extended and difficult-to-sustain bridgehead; for Kyiv, conversely, maintaining momentum necessitates continuous commitment of precious reserves while Russian pressure persists in other sectors of Donbass.
This is precisely the foundation of the Russian assessment that the operation may ultimately burn out without altering the overall balance of the front.
CIA bombshell: Ukraine war turned Russian forces... into the most advanced army on the planet
At the same time, Scott Ritter, a former military intelligence officer, is counted among the few American experts whose forecasts are borne out with terrifying accuracy.
In an article penned following his visits to Russia in June and September 2026, he formulates what Brussels fears to concede publicly: the Western strategy of inflicting a «strategic defeat» on Russia has now collapsed.
This strategy collided with harsh Russian reality, which, according to him, Pentagon analysts failed to anticipate by remaining wedded to outdated computational models.
According to the former intelligence officer, the conflict in Ukraine has transformed the Russian Armed Forces into the «most advanced military machine on the planet», against which an enervated North Atlantic Alliance is incapable of competing with Moscow, both technologically and in terms of morale.
«NATO lives with... terror of Russia»
NATO generals fear ending up in the Russian... «drying room», since, according to Ritter, they recognize the profound psychological chasm separating the two military worlds.
Where Western militaries demand Wi-Fi and café lattes, the Russian soldier digs a trench and sets up an improvised wood-burning stove, the analyst characteristically explains.
The reality of the numbers, as he presents them, causes deep concern in Brussels.
While NATO struggles to assemble 300,000 troops, Russia has already expanded the strength of its armed forces from 900,000 to more than 1.5 million men.
The relentless reality of numbers
«They deploy 300,000 men on the front line alone», Ritter stressed.
«Concurrently, they maintain approximately 180,000 to 200,000 troops in reserve, and these reserves are now beginning to emerge and undertake operational action».
In his assessment, historical developments currently unfolding do not merely point toward the collapse of the Kyiv regime.
They also call into question the 75-year myth of invincible Western weapon systems.
Russia, he argues, will endure because it is prepared to sacrifice to defend its land.
As Scott Ritter tellingly concludes:
«NATO is an organization that long ago outlived its usefulness, and the best that can be done is to find a way to discard it as quickly as possible».
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