September 16th, 2026: Ukraine Launches a New Ground Offensive Against Russia & NATO Faces New Baltic Tensions

Mike Baker (0:13)

It's Wednesday, the 16th of September. Welcome to The President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Ukraine is back on offense in Northern Donetsk, launching a new push in one of the most heavily contested areas of Ukraine. I'll have the details. Later in the show, the US is urging Syria to consider sending forces into Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah. But Damascus, here's no surprise, is warning that the move could pull it directly into the war. Plus, NATO fighter jets shoot down a Russian drone over Lithuania, or at least it's a suspected Russian drone, while a Russian warship fires flares near a Danish military helicopter in another tense encounter in the Baltic. In today's Back of the Brief, President Trump rejects calls for new restrictions on artificial intelligence, arguing that a high IQ president is the only guardrail needed. I am not making that up. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. In a conflict that has been largely defined by static lines and grinding costly incremental gains, Ukraine says it's going back on offense in one of the most important sections of the Donbass. The operation is called Vivaldi, and it's unfolding in northern Donetsk around the approaches to Le Mans, where Ukrainian forces say they've spent weeks quietly pushing back Russian troops and dismantling positions that Moscow had hoped to use for a larger advance. According to Ukraine's Third Army Corps, its forces have cleared roughly 75 square kilometers that had been infiltrated by Russian troops and retaken another 10 square kilometers outright. Ukrainian commanders also say they've pushed Russian forces out of several communities and disrupted some of the logistics supporting Moscow's operations in the area. Now, those are Ukrainian battlefield claims, and Reuters says it has not been able to independently verify the full extent of those gains. But outside assessments do support the broader picture that Ukraine has managed to dislodge some Russian positions in this sector.

Liman sits northeast of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two cities that form the heart of Ukraine's remaining defensive belt in Donetsk. For months, Russian forces have been trying to improve their positions around that belt from several directions. One of those approaches came from the north, where Moscow had been building out a position near Liman that could eventually help put additional pressure on the region. Ukraine now says Operation Vivaldi has largely pushed that threat back. The Institute for the Study of War has assessed that Ukrainian forces have substantially reduced the Russian presence north of Liman, complicating Moscow's efforts to use that area as one part of a broader attempt to squeeze Ukraine's defensive positions from multiple directions. So this is not really a story about Ukraine capturing a few more villages or several square miles of ground. This is about Ukrainian forces disrupting one of Russia's planned routes toward a much bigger objective. Front lines across eastern Ukraine have often remained static. Russia can spend weeks or months fighting for a handful of villages, while both sides pour troops and drones and artillery into a relatively small area.

Even a localized counteroffensive can force the other side to move troops, rebuild defensive positions or rethink an axis of advance that it had spent months preparing. There's also a broader battlefield context here. For much of the past several years, the basic pattern in eastern Ukraine has been Russia pushing forward while Ukrainian forces try to slow that advance. Those Russian gains have often been small and costly, but Moscow has generally held the initiative across much of the eastern front.

Operation Vivaldi is an example of Ukraine trying to reverse that dynamic, at least in one sector. There are some important caveats. This is not a major Ukrainian breakthrough, and it does not mean the broader battle for Donetsk has suddenly turned in Kiev's favor. Russian forces continue applying heavy pressure elsewhere in the region, including farther south. For now, this looks like a localized but potentially significant Ukrainian counteroffensive rather than the start of some sweeping reversal. And the name Vivaldi may offer a hint about what Kiev intends to do next. Ukrainian commanders say the operation was named after the Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi, best known for his composition, The Four Seasons. The commander overseeing the operation has suggested that what we're seeing now is only the first season.

All right, coming up next. The US pushes Syria to help disarm Hezbollah, and NATO faces additional encounters with Russia in the Baltic region.

I'll be right back.

Hey, Mike Baker here with a very important message about watching out for, safeguarding and protecting your family's future. Now it's not a pleasant thought, but it's an important one. If you're the provider for your family, what happens if you're no longer around? Look, things happen. You know that. Life can change quickly. You need to ensure that you can provide for your family even when you're gone. And that's why I want to talk to you about Ethos life insurance. That's Ethos, E-T-H-O-S. What I like about Ethos is how simple they make the whole process. Everything is done 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes and potentially get same-day coverage. There's no medical exam. You can just answer a few simple health questions online. Ethos offers coverage amounts up to $3 million and some policies are as low as $30 a month. They also have a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on TrustPilot with over 4,000 reviews. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com/pdb. That's Ethos, again, E-T-H-O-S, ethos.com/pdb. Application times and rates may vary. The TrustPilot rating is as of June 1st, 2025