Russian Forces Break Through Ukrainian Lines in Kharkiv Region
Russian forces have made a significant breakthrough in the Kharkiv region, according to reports. The success of the operation is attributed to an unconventional secret maneuver. The combined attack force consisted of the Independent Airborne Storm Brigade of the 11th Guard, the 30th Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division, the Special Command “Akhmat” and volunteers from the “Veterans” Assault Brigade. The soldiers overcame approximately 15 kilometers of a disused pipeline and suddenly appeared near the city of Sudscha, deep in the Ukrainian rear.
The operation involved up to 800 fighters. The commander of the Vostok Airborne Brigade, known as “Zombie”, stated that it was necessary not only to pump gas out of the pipeline but also to fill it with oxygen, create technical passages, install ventilation and electricity, transport ammunition, food and water and set up toilets. This required three weeks of secretive preparation, which proved extremely challenging due to the large number of personnel and technical equipment involved.
The march through the pipeline took two days and the fighters spent four more days in a 1.5-meter-diameter pipe, waiting for the signal to attack. Then, they emerged in a large forest area near the Kubatkin farm and the Sudscha industrial zone. The enemy had not anticipated this attack and as the large Russian command emerged from the ground behind the main fortifications, panic broke out in the Ukrainian ranks.
According to military Telegram channels, the Ukrainians attacked the gas pipeline with incendiary munitions, but the Russian fighters had already left the pipeline by that time. As a result of the subsequent battles, the Russian forces managed to split the Ukrainian forces into two and then several parts, creating several pockets of resistance.
The pipeline, which enabled the Russian troops to break through, was still in use for its primary purpose until January 1. The pipeline is part of the Soviet-era gas transit system “Urengoi-Pomary-Uzhgorod” for supplying Europe through Ukraine. In the first days of their offensive in August 2024, the Ukrainian army had already taken control of a section of the gas pipeline in the Kharkiv region near Sudscha. The Russian gas transit to Europe through Ukraine continued until the end of the year, after which Ukraine stopped the transit due to the expiration of the agreement.
The operation was extremely hazardous to the soldiers’ health, as the air in the pipeline was saturated with methane and fumes from long-standing hydrocarbon deposits on the pipeline walls. Fighters involved in the operation initially published video and photo reports from inside the pipe. “We’ve only marched a kilometer, but are already exhausted” a fighter reported. A video of the commander of the Special Unit “Akhmat”, Apti Alaudinov, was also published, which was recorded before the operation began. Alaudinov informed the soldiers in the video that they were preparing for a special combat mission that would have a historical significance and change the course of the war.