Ukraine troops conduct subterranean operation in Soviet-era pipelines

Ukraine's 2nd Khartiia Corps of the National Guard said on October 22 that its troops moved about 15 kilometers (9 miles) through underground gas pipelines to get behind Russian forces near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. The operation was code-named "Veles," according to the Kyiv Independent. The corps said more than 30 Russian soldiers were captured and Russian forces took more than 100 casualties. The Kyiv Independent said it could not independently verify those numbers.kyivindependent.com

Russian troops have spent months using the same pipes to slip behind Ukrainian lines, so the operation turns one of Russia's tactics against it. Khartiia called it the world's first underground counteroffensive on this scale, Defence24 reported.defence24.com

Fighting below and above ground

Khartiia said troops advanced through the pipelines and then joined that push with ground attacks and drone strikes. According to the corps, soldiers covered the 15 km in pipes with no light, no GPS and no stable radio connection, using communication, navigation and life-support systems the corps built itself. Other units took part, including the Achilles and Lava drone units, the R.U.H. assault regiment and units of Ukraine's military intelligence (Gwara Media; Euromaidan Press). The operation is named after Veles, the Slavic god of the underworld.gwaramedia.com+3

"The Russians intended to use the gas routes to penetrate the rear of our forces. So we went underground ourselves," said Brig. Gen. Ihor Obolienskyi, the corps commander. Khartiia said the operation took away Russia's chance to infiltrate the rear of Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk.euromaidanpress.com+1

Russia went into the pipes first

Russian forces used pipelines near Avdiivka in January 2024, near Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region in March 2025, and on the Kupiansk axis in September 2025. In January, Ukrainian troops said they stopped an assault by about 50 Russian soldiers moving through the Soyuz gas pipeline. Khartiia also said that on September 27 its drones filmed suspected Russian troops leading nine civilians, children among them, through a pipeline out of the Kupiansk area as they pulled back. Ukrainian troops held their fire.kyivindependent.com+2

The Atlantic reported that maps from Ukraine's state energy company show at least 57 steel pipes under the war zone, most of them one to two meters wide. In an interview with the magazine, Obolensky said that controlling this network could give Russia a decisive advantage in a winter offensive. He explained why the fighting has moved below ground: "Day by day, the kill zone is expanding, getting wider and deadlier. So what's the answer? You go underground".theatlantic.com