Operation “Veles”
Ukraine Advances Underground Into Russian Positions
Ukraine has often proven that it knows how to defend itself against the overwhelming might of Russia with ingenuity. Now the defenders are making headlines again: They fought their way 15 kilometers underground behind Russian lines. They borrowed the tactic from the enemy itself.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen Ukraine named its spectacular operation after Veles, the god who rules the realm of the dead in Slavic mythology. It could not have found a more fitting name. Last week, Ukrainian soldiers advanced underground into Russian positions near the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. They made use of a gas pipeline decommissioned in 2022, whose pipes run east-west beneath the strategic Oskil River.
Russian Volunteers Involved
Other units, including Russian volunteers, also took part in the operation. Simultaneously with the underground advance, Ukrainian drone units carried out attacks on Russian positions from the surface.
The attack gave the Ukrainian army a chance to catch its breath in the besieged city. According to the U.S. think tank ISW, Russian military bloggers believe that Russia will have to abandon some positions near Kupiansk as a result of Operation “Veles.”
The Khartiia Corps released a video of the spectacular operation:
Operation “Veles” was carried out by the 2nd Khartiia Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard. The corps is known for its innovative tactics and plays a pioneering role in deploying modern technologies on the battlefield. A video released by the unit shows soldiers moving through the dark and narrow gas pipeline, partly crawling and partly on skateboards.
Fighting Underground
Fighting also broke out underground: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over 100 Russian soldiers were killed and more than 30 were captured. The operation strengthened Ukrainian positions and showed the Russians “that they are failing to achieve the objectives set by their political leadership even in the Kupiansk area,” Zelenskyy said.
The tactic was actually modeled after that of the Russian troops themselves. In September, they had attempted to advance into Ukrainian positions through a gas pipeline running under the river. “Ukrainian fighters have successfully refined and modernized this tactic, making it significantly more sophisticated and technologically advanced,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
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