# Russia-Ukraine underground warfare tactics

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/russia-ukraine-underground-warfare-tactics
> Updated: 2026-10-22T17:09:07.000Z. Sources: 13. Developments: 2.

Military forces in the Russia-Ukraine war are increasingly utilizing Soviet-era underground infrastructure, such as abandoned gas and industrial pipelines, to move troops and bypass aerial surveillance. While these tactics carry risks like oxygen deprivation, they allow assault groups to navigate beneath front lines.

In the Kharkiv region near Kupiansk, Ukrainian forces conducted a specialized underground operation codenamed ‘Veles’. According to the 2nd Khartiia Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine, soldiers traveled approximately 15 kilometers through the Shebelinka–Ostrozhnsk gas pipeline infrastructure, which runs under the Oskil River, to emerge behind Russian positions. Brigadier General Ihor Obolenskyi stated that Ukrainian forces studied Russian tactics to turn the infrastructure into a tactical advantage. The mission combined underground infiltration with simultaneous surface assaults and synchronized drone strikes. Ukrainian officials claim the operation resulted in the capture of over 30 Russian soldiers and more than 100 Russian casualties, though these figures have not been independently verified.

Reports indicate that Russian forces have previously utilized similar methods in operations near Avdiivka in early 2024 and in the Kursk region near Sudzha in March 2025. By late 2026, the conflict has entered a phase characterized by intense subterranean combat. Due to drone dominance in the airspace making surface movement hazardous, both sides are utilizing abandoned Soviet-era gas and water pipelines. In the Kupiansk sector, the Ukrainian 13th Brigade ‘Khartia’ has been engaged in a war of attrition within these networks for months. Russian forces have used specialized units to navigate narrow pipes to establish machine-gun nests and improvised shelters. In response, Ukrainian forces have deployed small land-based robotic drones equipped with explosives to target Russian positions inside the pipes.

## Claims

- Ukrainian troops traveled over 15 kilometers through underground infrastructure. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- The operation was code-named Veles. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- The operation took place near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- More than 30 Russian soldiers were captured. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- Russian casualties exceeded 100 people. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- The operation combined underground movement, surface attacks, and drone strikes. (corroborated by 6 sources)
- The operation utilized the Shebelinka–Ostrozhnsk gas pipeline. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The casualty figures have not been independently verified. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are using Soviet-era pipelines for movement and combat. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The Ukrainian 13th Brigade ‘Khartia’ is defending the Kupiansk direction. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Russian forces have used underground pipes to penetrate Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka. (single source)
- Russian forces conducted a breakthrough through a gas pipeline near Sudzha in March 2025. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-22: Ukraine war shifts to underground combat in Soviet-era pipelines

Soldiers in Ukraine are increasingly using abandoned Soviet-era pipelines for underground combat to evade drone surveillance on the surface.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/russia-and-ukraine-utilize-underground-infrastructure-in-conflict

### 2026-10-22: Ukraine conducts underground operation Veles near Kupiansk

Ukraine's 2nd Khartiia Corps conducted Operation Veles, using 15 km of underground gas pipelines to infiltrate behind Russian lines near Kupiansk, resulting in over 30 captures and 100 reported casualties.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ukrainian-forces-conduct-underground-operation-near-kupiansk

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Cite as: Russia-Ukraine underground warfare tactics. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/russia-ukraine-underground-warfare-tactics