Ukrainian Troops Use Gas Pipelines to Strike Russian Rear Near Kupiansk

Ukrainian forces used underground gas pipelines to reach positions behind Russian lines near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, combining the concealed advance with coordinated attacks above ground. The National Guard's 2nd Khartiia Corps announced the operation, codenamed Veles, on October 21 and October 22, 2026, claiming that its troops traveled more than 15 kilometers (9 miles) underground, captured more than 30 Russian soldiers, and inflicted over 100 casualties.

The reported distance refers to movement through underground infrastructure, not a confirmed advance of the front line. The Kyiv Independent said it could not independently verify the casualty and capture figures provided by the Ukrainian corps.

Brig. Gen. Ihor Obolienskyi, commander of the 2nd Khartiia Corps, said Ukrainian planners had studied Russian efforts to exploit underground routes and prepared to counter similar movements through major gas pipelines in Kharkiv Oblast.

"The Russians intended to use the gas routes to penetrate the rear of our forces. So we went underground ourselves," Obolienskyi said.

The corps said the operation aimed to prevent Russian troops from reaching the rear of Ukrainian positions while undermining their tactics on the ground and from the air. Ukrainian forces combined the underground movement with surface operations, including coordinated drone strikes.

Obolienskyi said the operation also reflected Ukrainian preparations for fighting beneath the battlefield, where conventional navigation and communications can be difficult.

"We anticipated the enemy's actions and mastered the tactics of conducting combat operations underground," he said.

According to the corps' statement reported by the Kyiv Post, soldiers navigated confined spaces without GPS, daylight, or reliable conventional radio communications. Engineers and support personnel prepared the route, while troops received physical and psychological training for operating underground.

Ukrainian units coordinated the surface assault with the underground force through a joint command center. The 429th Achilles Unmanned Systems Brigade supported the operation with drone missions intended to pressure Russian positions from multiple directions.

Obolienskyi described the maneuver as evidence that Ukrainian forces could use initiative and technology to challenge entrenched positions.

"Veles proves that there is no positional deadlock for those who possess initiative and technology. Our troops traveled 15 kilometers [9 miles] underground, where no army in the world has yet advanced, and we will continue driving the enemy from our land," Obolienskyi said.

The 2nd Khartiia Corps described Veles as the world's first full-scale underground counteroffensive maneuver. Its participating forces included the National Guard's 13th Khartiia Brigade, the 23rd R.U.G. Assault Regiment, the 21st Lava Unmanned Systems Regiment, and the Achilles drone brigade, alongside units associated with Ukraine's military intelligence agency, HUR.

The intelligence-linked participants included the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps. The corps also listed additional Ukrainian defense units without identifying them individually.

Khartiia said Veles formed part of its broader campaign to reclaim occupied territory in Kharkiv Oblast and disrupted a Russian effort to reach the rear of Ukrainian positions around Kupiansk.

Russian forces have previously used gas pipelines to move troops covertly in the Kupiansk sector. In January, Ukrainian troops said they had stopped an assault involving approximately 50 Russian soldiers attempting to advance through the Soyuz gas pipeline.

Khartiia also described a separate incident in which Russian troops retreating near Kupiansk allegedly used civilians as human shields. According to the corps, the group included children and elderly people who were taken to the Shebelinka–Ostrogozhsk pipeline and forced inside toward Russian-held territory; Ukrainian troops said they withheld fire because civilians were present.

The 2nd Khartiia Corps developed from a volunteer territorial defense unit established in 2022, became a National Guard brigade in 2023, and formed the basis of the corps established in April 2025.