Russia used gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian troops

A protest outside the US embassy in Kyiv, on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Russian special forces walked kilometers inside of a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine's military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow moves to recapture parts of its border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive.

Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk in August 2024 - the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II. Within days, Ukrainian units captured 1000 sq km of territory, including the strategic border town of Sudzha, and taken hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. According to Kyiv, the operation aimed to gain a bargaining chip in future peace talks, and force Russia to divert troops away from its grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine.

But months after Ukraine's run, its soldiers in Kursk are weary and bloodied by relentless assaults of more than 50,000 troops, including some from North Korea. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers run the risk of being encircled, open source maps of the battlefield show.

According to Ukrainian-born, pro-Kremlin blogger Yuri Podolyaka, Russian operatives walked about 15 km inside the pipeline, which Moscow had until recently used to send gas to Europe. Some Russian troops had spent several days in the pipe before striking Ukrainian units from the rear.

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