Ukrainian troops advance 15 kilometers through gas pipeline to reach Russian rear

The operation, codenamed Veles, was launched after Ukrainian forces discovered that Russian troops intended to use the same pipeline network to infiltrate Ukrainian positions.

"We knew the Russians were planning to use gas pipelines to penetrate the rear of our forces. So we went underground ourselves," said Brigadier General Ihor Obolienskyi, commander of the Khartiia Corps.

According to Obolienskyi, Ukrainian forces had studied Russian underground movements and identified a major gas pipeline running beneath Kharkiv Oblast.

"Khartiia troops used the pipeline to advance behind Russian positions, coordinating their underground movement with drone strikes above ground.

The operation resulted in the capture of more than 30 Russian soldiers and over 100 Russian casualties, according to the corps. The figures could not be independently verified.

Russian forces have previously used gas pipelines to infiltrate Ukrainian positions, including during Operation Pipe, which Russian state media and pro-war commentators celebrated as a major military achievement.