Ukrainian Troops Reveal Brutal Reality of Secret Underground Pipeline Warfare
Ukrainian soldiers reveal details of Operation Veles, a secret underground counteroffensive inside narrow gas pipelines near Kupiansk, resulting in territorial gains and heavy enemy casualties.
Ukrainian infantry soldiers have revealed harrowing details of Operation Veles, a secretive underground counteroffensive near the frontline city of Kupiansk. Troops spent up to 45 days operating inside narrow, abandoned gas pipelines ranging from one to 1.2 meters in diameter.
The underground campaign emerged as a response to lethal drone dominance in the open skies. During the operation, Ukrainian forces advanced through the subterranean network, recapturing approximately 14.5 kilometers of territory from Russian forces, eliminating about 100 soldiers and capturing 30 others.
Brutal Subterranean Conditions
Combatants described nightmarish conditions inside the pitch-black pipes, plagued by the stench of natural gas, chemicals, decomposing bodies, and human waste. Soldiers and enemy troops were often separated merely by makeshift sandbag barricades, with minor noises instantly triggering heavy firefights.
One platoon commander recounted spending 18 days trapped inside a pipe, forced to sleep sandwiched between three enemy corpses to avoid making a sound. Meanwhile, military medics faced extreme challenges treating respiratory complications and severe infections caused by toxic gases pumped into the tunnels by Russian forces.
Despite the claustrophobic horror, some troops noted they felt safer underground, away from the constant threat of aerial drones dominating the surface.
