Ukraine advances over 15 km underground in Operation Veles
Ukrainian troops conducted Operation Veles on the Kupiansk front, advancing more than 15 km underground through gas communications. The 2nd National Guard Corps “Kartiia” carried out the operation, during which more than 100 Russian occupiers were killed or destroyed and over 30 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner.
Key points
- Operation Veles is being conducted on the Kupiansk front by the 2nd National Guard Corps “Kartiia”.
- Ukrainian troops advanced more than 15 km underground.
- More than 100 Russian occupiers were killed or destroyed during the operation.
- More than 30 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces successfully modernized underground-movement tactics.
- President Zelenskyy heard reports on the operation’s initial results from Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ihor Obolenskyi, and Pavlo Palisa.
- On October 26, the Kartiia Corps published interviews with five Russian prisoners.
Why it matters
Operation Veles demonstrates that Ukrainian forces can use underground gas infrastructure to conduct an outflanking advance and approach the rear of Russian positions. By adapting and modernizing a tactic previously used by Russian troops, the military reported substantial losses among the occupiers, the capture of more than 30 prisoners, and progress of more than 15 km underground.
What happened
The 2nd National Guard Corps “Kartiia” conducted Operation Veles on the Kupiansk front. Ukrainian troops adopted the tactic of moving through underground gas communications, which Russian forces had been using to pass secretly through Ukrainian positions and conduct assaults, and modernized it for their own use. They advanced more than 15 km underground, bringing them closer to the rear of Russian forces. More than 100 Russian occupiers were killed or destroyed, while more than 30 Russian soldiers were captured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heard reports on the operation’s initial results and course from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi, Kartiia Corps commander Ihor Obolenskyi, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes the technological modernization of underground-movement tactics, the scale of the 15-kilometer advance, and the operation’s combat results. The operation is presented as a means of approaching the rear of Russian troops, driving Russian assault forces out of an underground gas pipeline, and freeing part of the communications network.
Background
Russian troops had used underground gas communications for covert movement through Ukrainian positions and subsequent assault operations. On October 26, the Kartiia Corps published interviews with five Russian soldiers captured during Operation Veles. Those prisoners said they had received little training, were sent to assault the Kupiansk front after arriving, and had to cross an abandoned gas pipeline to approach Ukrainian positions unnoticed.