Zelenskyy on operation Veles: AFU successfully transform underground advance tactics, make them more technologically advanced

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed the Veles military operation, conducted by the Khartia second Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard in the Kupiansk sector of the frontline in Kharkiv region. Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty, Khartia Commander Ihor Obolensky, and Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa briefed the President on the operation's early outcomes.

The operation has already resulted in the elimination of over a hundred Russian occupiers, with more than thirty taken prisoner. The Ukrainian forces have advanced more than 15 kilometers underground, a significant expansion from previous efforts. Russian occupiers have attempted to exploit underground gas pipelines for advancing through Ukrainian positions and launching assaults, but the Ukrainian soldiers have effectively modernized and technologically upgraded this tactic.

In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy stated that the Defense Forces, under the command of the second Khartia Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard, broke the stalemate in the Kupiansk sector and initiated the next phase of liberating the Kharkiv region as part of the underground operation "Veles." The operation involved digging more than 15 kilometers of tunnels behind enemy lines.

Russian forces perceived underground tunnels as their unique means for evading Ukrainian defenses, but Ukraine strategically outmaneuvered them, turning this perceived weakness into an advantage.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces noted that while tunnels have been utilized in conflicts from Vietnam to Gaza, they have predominantly been employed for defensive purposes, concealment, or localized sabotage. In contrast, the Russian army utilized underground tunnels near Avdiivka to infiltrate infantry. This marked the first time in history that a full-scale underground counteroffensive maneuver had taken place.