Ukraine: Battles Waged Underground

PORKVOSK PIPELINE

Yesterday, Russian Telegram channels released a video showing DRG units moving through an underground pipe allegedly located beneath Pokrovsk. It was claimed that the footage was recent and that this tactic had assisted Russian forces in re-securing parts of the southern districts of the city.

We believe there is a strong chance the video is indeed recent, based on the roller board one of the soldiers was using. This device has only recently been showcased on social media a few weeks ago, designed specifically to ease movement through narrow pipes and eliminate the need to crawl, suggesting the footage reflects a new adaptation in the field.

(this video has been posted to our instagram)

PIPELINE TACTICS

The reality is that this tactic works, though it is extremely high risk and often carries a very high death rate for the attackers who use pipelines. It can be described as a form of modern-day tunnel warfare, reminiscent of the tactics seen in World War I.

We first saw it at Avdiivka, one of the fortress cities in central Donetsk that had sat on the frontline since the separatist movement began more than a decade ago. Its fortifications, (trenches, bunkers reinforced with concrete, and barbed wire)were long considered impenetrable. For years, they could not be breached. Russian forces had already lost hundreds trying to force an encirclement on the flanks, attempting to create a pincer to avoid the kind of brutal losses suffered in Bakhmut when they attacked head-on. But this, too, proved equally bloody. Ukrainian defences were formidable, and thousands were killed in the battles to break through the western and eastern flanks of Avdiivka.

Then one day reports came of a breakthrough past the strongest defences, in an operation kept secret for over a year using a pipe. Scouts discovered the pipe earlier, but initial attempts to cut passages failed due to oxygen shortages, requiring ventilation shafts. Flooding further delayed the plan. Engineers masked their work under artillery and mortar fire until the route was ready. Recently, Russian troops completed the daring infiltration, emerging in the Ukrainian rear. They disrupted and cut off significant fortifications, capturing several Ukrainian soldiers while eliminating others, marking a rare tactical success achieved through long-term preparation and persistence.