Russia Sent 100 Soldiers Through Pipelines to Infiltrate Sudzha—Ukraine Was Waiting.

Sabotage Attempt Ends in Utter Disaster

This wasn’t the first time the Russians emerged from underground like ghosts to strike above. In February 2024, during the brutal battle for Avdiivka, they used the same tactic. After pummeling Ukrainian defenses with relentless glide bomb attacks—fortifications that had held for over two years—Russian special forces surfaced from tunnels, struck behind the lines, and vanished just as quickly. Once, they even snatched a Ukrainian commander.

The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline, once a vital artery for Russian gas flowing to Europe through Ukraine, has a diameter of 1,420 mm (56 inches)—wide enough for a fully equipped soldier to crawl through.

Even when operational, the pipeline posed a strategic threat. Now, with no gas flowing, it’s an even greater risk. Ukraine, having learned hard lessons from Avdiivka, fully expected the Russians to exploit underground routes. Yet, despite knowing they were being watched, Russia still attempted the gambit in Sudzha—one that ended in disaster.