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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the command post of the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade on the Lyman front on September 30 and presented state awards to service members, according to the Ukrainian president’s office.
Zelensky met with soldiers carrying out combat missions in the Lyman sector and spoke with the brigade commander about the unit’s tasks and needs.
The 66th Brigade is taking part in Operation Vivaldi. Zelensky said that, together with other units of the Third Army Corps, the brigade had returned more than 125 square kilometers of territory to Ukrainian control.
During a coordination meeting on the Lyman front, Zelensky also met with commanders of National Guard and army corps, as well as brigade and battalion commanders.
The discussions focused on defense procurement, particularly the supply of pickup trucks to brigades, expanding Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, increasing funding for drones, simplifying procurement procedures, expanding personnel numbers, and recruiting and training troops. Commanders also raised the need for long-range artillery and prepared proposals concerning pay for troops serving on the front line.
The commanders also discussed the situation on the eastern and southern fronts, the development of drone and counter-drone technologies, new methods of warfare, the return of soldiers who had gone absent without leave, the recruitment of foreign nationals and logistics.
Zelensky said the issues requiring decisions at the military command level should be considered at a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The visit comes as Ukrainian forces continue Operation Vivaldi in the Lyman sector. According to the Third Army Corps, its latest phase included the liberation of the settlements of Nove, Ridkodub and Katerynivka, while more than 250 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner.
The 66th Brigade’s visit was part of Zelensky’s broader trip to Ukrainian units operating in the Lyman area.
