Russian special forces launched a surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, utilizing a disused gas pipeline to covertly infiltrate the area, according to Ukraine's military and pro-Moscow war bloggers.
Footage shared on the Telegram app purportedly shows elite Russian soldiers crawling through the dark, narrow confines of the pipeline as they make their way toward the town of Sudzha. The soldiers are heard expressing frustration and dissatisfaction with the mission and their commanders.
One soldier can be heard exclaiming, "F------ hell, where the f---are we, boys?" while another questions, "Where does the pipe go? To Sudzha, for f------- sake, that's f------crazy." The video also features a soldier grumbling, "We'll get there of course, but indignantly, because we're f------ sick of the f------ command," and later mentioning, "They took our f------ assault rifles too."
The special forces are said to have walked about nine miles through the pipeline, which Moscow had used until recently to send gas to Europe. According to pro-Kremlin blogger Yuri Podolyaka, some soldiers spent several days inside the pipeline before executing the attack on Ukrainian units near Sudzha. The operation aimed to recapture parts of Kursk that were taken by Ukrainian forces in a surprise offensive in August of the previous year.
Pro-Russian war blogger "Two Majors" also reported that a major battle is underway in Sudzha, following the surprise entry of Russian special forces through the pipeline.
However, HNGN cannot independently confirm the claims.
In response, Ukraine's general staff confirmed on Saturday that Russian troops had attempted to use the pipeline to gain a foothold but were promptly detected by Ukrainian airborne assault forces.
Ukraine responded with rocket, artillery, and drone strikes, resulting in significant losses for the Russian forces. "The enemy's losses in Sudzha are very high," the Ukrainian general staff reported.
On the same day, Ukraine's Air Assault Forces shared a video on Telegram, claiming it showed Ukrainian forces repelling Russian troops in Kursk using airstrikes. However, Sky News has not independently verified the footage.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to face relentless assaults from more than 50,000 Russian troops, including fighters from Russia's ally North Korea. Despite seizing parts of Kursk, Ukrainian soldiers are under immense pressure, with reports suggesting tens of thousands are at risk of being encircled. Open-source battlefield maps indicated significant strategic challenges for Ukraine as of Friday.
Russia's defense ministry also claimed to have captured settlements in the Kursk and Sumy regions of Ukraine. Over the weekend, Russian aerial attacks intensified, with at least 22 people reported killed, including 11 in the frontline town of Dobropilla in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks as "vile and inhumane intimidation tactics" by Russia. These strikes follow a recent diplomatic spat between President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, which led to a temporary halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
