Ukrainian troops travelled more than 15km through underground infrastructure to emerge behind Russian lines near Kupiansk, in a daring operation Kyiv says disrupted enemy plans and demonstrated a new approach to counteroffensive warfare.
In darkness, without GPS or reliable conventional radio communications, Ukrainian soldiers advanced through more than nine miles of underground routes before surfacing behind Russian positions in northeastern Ukraine.
The operation, code-named Veles, used concealed underground infrastructure to bypass Russian defences near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. According to a statement from Ukraine’s National Guard 2nd Khartiia Corps, which commanded the mission, the manoeuvre helped prevent Russian forces from penetrating the rear of Ukrainian positions.
The corps said more than 30 Russian personnel were captured and Russian losses exceeded 100. The reported 15km journey refers to the troops’ underground movement, not a confirmed advance of the front line by that distance.
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The operation’s name draws on Veles, a Slavic deity associated with the underworld — an apt reference to an assault designed to exploit terrain beyond the immediate reach of conventional battlefield surveillance.
“Russians believed underground infrastructure was their exclusive tool for bypassing our defences,” Brig. Gen. Ihor Oboliensky, commander of the Khartiia Corps, said in the statement. “We studied their experience, outplayed them on their own ground, and turned that threat into an advantage for our counteroffensive.”
The mission required extensive preparation. Engineers and combat engineers made the route usable, while soldiers underwent physical and psychological training for the challenges of operating in confined spaces. The corps said it developed systems for underground navigation, communications and sustaining personnel during the movement.
The assault was coordinated with Ukrainian units operating above ground. Drone operations, including strikes by the 429th Achilles Unmanned Systems Brigade, were managed through a joint centre, according to the corps.
The intended effect was to confront Russian troops with pressure from multiple directions: Ukrainian forces advancing on the surface while another contingent emerged behind their positions. By combining concealed movement with coordinated attacks, the operation sought to disrupt Russian efforts to reach the rear of Ukrainian defences around Kupiansk.
Khartiia described Veles as the world’s first full-scale underground counteroffensive manoeuvre, a claim that could not be independently established from the information provided.
The operation brought together the National Guard’s 13th Khartiia Brigade, the 23rd R.U.G. Assault Regiment, the 21st Lava Unmanned Systems Regiment and the Achilles drone brigade. Units linked to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, including the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps, also participated, the statement said.
“Veles proves that there is no positional deadlock for those who possess initiative and technology,” Obolienskyi said. “Our troops traveled 15 kilometers [9 miles] underground, where no army in the world has yet advanced, and we will continue driving the enemy from our land.”
The operation represents another stage in Khartiia’s campaign to reclaim occupied territory in the Kharkiv region. Formed as a volunteer territorial defence unit in 2022, the formation became a National Guard brigade in 2023 and later provided the basis for the 2nd Khartiia Corps, established in April 2025.
Its reported underground advance offers a striking example of battlefield adaptation, although the scale of its wider impact will depend on developments beyond the operation itself.
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