Ukraine opens subterranean battlefield front in disused gas pipelines near Kupiansk

Ukrainian forces have opened a subterranean front in the war against Russia by operating inside underground networks around Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine, France 24 reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the success of Operation Veles, which involved sending soldiers into a disused gas pipeline to confront Russian troops in the Kupiansk region. The New York Times reported late last month that Ukrainian soldiers have been fighting Russian forces in disused pipelines and tunnels around the town. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Ukrainian troops traveled through more than 15 kilometers of underground gas pipelines during Operation Veles to infiltrate Russian positions near Kupiansk. The operation reportedly resulted in more than 100 Russian military casualties and cut off a Russian underground route into the area. [17]

France 24 reported that the Ukrainian army has spent nearly two weeks allowing Western media outlets to observe the conditions of its subterranean operations. The turn to underground fighting follows years of combat across fields, forests, and skies that have become heavily saturated by drones. [1]

The ground fighting continues alongside air and infrastructure attacks across Ukraine. BBC News reported that at least 38 people were killed over 24 hours in Russian strikes on a hospital, a hospice, and an aid centre, while The Guardian reported that at least 31 people died in a bombing of a humanitarian hub. In addition, CBS News reported that emergency alert mobile applications in both Ukraine and Russia were hacked to send false warnings of nuclear and chemical strikes. [4][6][8][9]