Ukrainian forces destroyed a pipeline Russian troops were using to infiltrate the front-line town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s 429th Separate Drone Regiment “Achilles” said Friday.
The regiment released video footage showing the destruction of what it described as a “critically important logistical channel” for Russian forces. The route was discovered during reconnaissance and destroyed in a joint operation with other Ukrainian units.
“It was a safe route that allowed (Russia) to build up strength while bypassing (Ukrainian) fire,” the Achilles regiment said.
The announcement came shortly after Ukraine’s National Guard said its 2nd Khartiia Corps carried out a successful counterattack north of Kupiansk, contradicting Russian claims of capturing the northeastern town.
In September, reports emerged that Russian troops were using gas pipelines to infiltrate Kupiansk, a tactic they had adopted during the Battle of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces flooded and disabled a massive underground pipeline near Kupiansk in September after Russian troops adapted it as a covert route.
The Achilles regiment entered the Kupiansk sector in April. Since then, the unit said it has killed 998 Russian soldiers and injured another 879.
Kupiansk lies 104 kilometers east of Kharkiv, the regional center. The town was occupied at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion before being liberated in September 2022. Fighting around the town has been fierce, with battles in the Kupiansk sector ongoing, the Achilles regiment said.
