Russia is preparing for an underground war; fighting continues near Kupiansk along gas pipelines, according to The Wall Street Journal

The Russian military is training specialized units to conduct combat operations underground. Meanwhile, fighters from the 13th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard, “Charter,” are already engaging Russian forces in old Soviet gas pipelines near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.

According to The Wall Street Journal, early this year, Russian troops began penetrating several miles deep into Ukrainian positions, crossing the river and moving through the gas pipelines. These underground routes allow the Russians to bypass sections of the front line that are constantly under surveillance by Ukrainian drones.

The occupiers cut holes in the pipes, emerged to the surface, launched drones, and then hid underground again.

At first, the Ukrainian military tried to destroy the pipe exits with artillery and airstrikes. However, the Russians dug new passages next to the destroyed positions.

“It’s like the game ‘Whack-a-Mole’: you have to be very quick and have several drones in the air,” brigade spokesman Lt. Volodymyr Degtyarev told The Wall Street Journal.

According to Abat, by spring it became clear that simply destroying the exits was not enough to stop the Russian military from infiltrating.

Ukrainian troops began using ground-based robotic systems to conduct reconnaissance inside the pipes. With their help, they discovered that the Russians had set up barricades made of sandbags and machine-gun positions.

It later turned out that the occupiers had dug additional tunnels branching off from the main pipeline to the sides and downward. In this way, they created large underground spaces where soldiers could remain for months.

To destroy these positions, “Charter” fighters used robots equipped with explosives and remotely controlled large-caliber machine guns.

According to the publication, in some cases, the enemy was positioned about four meters apart.

“When we killed one enemy, there was another right behind him. There were a lot of people inside these sections,” Abat said.

The gas pipelines have a diameter of approximately 1.2 meters, so soldiers are forced to move through them practically one at a time. They use bunkers built into the pipe walls to rest, and during combat, they primarily use heavy machine guns.

Due to the conditions inside the pipes, the soldiers wear gas masks. According to them, the smell of gas and the bodies of the dead is so strong that they have to wash their uniforms several times in vinegar.

The publication also reports that the “Charter” brigade captured more than 30 Russian soldiers in the main pipeline near Kupiansk and its branches, and eliminated more than 100 occupiers.

According to Abat, Moscow is training new units specifically designed for underground combat operations.

The Wall Street Journal notes that military leaders in Poland and the Baltic states are monitoring the development of this tactic in Ukraine. The reason is the presence of Soviet-era pipeline networks in the territories of these countries.

Ukraine was previously a transit country for the network through which Russian energy resources were supplied to Central and Western Europe. According to Ukrnafta, the company operates approximately 3,200 km of oil pipelines and 3,000 km of gas pipelines.

At the same time, the effectiveness of underground tactics depends on specific conditions. In particular, attempts by Russian forces to break through to Chasovoy Yar via the pipelines ended in failure.

Mark Kansian, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), explained the resurgence of underground combat in a comment to The Wall Street Journal as a result of the development of modern weapons.

“Underground combat is making a comeback as an element of warfare in response to high-precision weapons, such as missiles and drones,” Kansian noted.

As a result, Soviet-era pipelines have become one of the battlefields near Kupiansk. Russian troops are using them for covert movement, establishing positions, and attempting to bypass Ukrainian defenses, while “Charter” fighters are deploying robotic systems and remotely controlled weapons to detect and destroy the enemy.

The Wall Street Journal reports this, citing a deputy brigade commander with the call sign Abat.

In addition, Russian occupation forces are advancing in the Donetsk region near two settlements—Rai-Oleksandrivka and Vilne. 

Over the past day, October 22, there were 165 combat engagements on the front lines. Among the specified sectors, Russian forces carried out the largest number of attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, where 15 assaults were recorded.

Prior to this, the General Staff updated the data on Russian losses in the war against Ukraine as of October 23.