Special Ukrainian operation. First underground counter-offensive conducted on such a scale?

The successful operation was announced by the 2nd National Guard Corps of Ukraine „Khartiia.” The soldiers had been prepared for operations in confined spaces; an underground route was designated for them, and proprietary technological solutions for communication, navigation, and life support were employed. Actions below and above ground were coordinated with drone strikes.

According to the 2nd Corps, Ukrainian soldiers traversed 15 km through gas pipelines devoid of light, GPS access, or stable radio communication. The operation broke the stalemate in the Kupyansk sector of the front and prevented Russian forces from infiltrating the rear of Ukrainian troops near Kupyansk.

„We knew that gas mains run through the Kharkiv region, and we were certain that the adversary would try to exploit them. The Russians intended to use the gas pipelines to reach the rear of our troops, which is why we went underground ourselves to stop them,” said the Corps commander, General Ihor Obolienskyi. The Ukrainian side had reportedly been observing enemy underground activities for some time now. Instances of Russian forces using underground infrastructure (gas pipelines, water and sewage pipes) were noted, among others, near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region in January 2024, during the fighting for Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region in March 2025, and in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkiv region in September 2025. „We studied their experience […] and transformed this threat into our advantage,” Obolienskyi concluded.

According to „Khartiia,” this was the world’s first underground counter-offensive conducted on such a scale.