Bloomberg: Russia sends troops through gas pipelines to evade drones

Russian forces struggling to gain ground in Ukraine are sending troops and supplies through empty gas pipelines to evade deadly drone strikes. 

The tactic surfaced near Kupiansk, a key rail hub some 120 kilometers  southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, where soldiers used a pipeline under the Oskil River in a weeks-long bid to retake the city, Bloomberg reports.

Using Soviet-era gas infrastructure as underground crawl spaces is physically demanding and has earned participating troops the nickname “pipeline forces.”

Moscow has refined this method from previous operations, including in Avdiivka in February 2024 and the March Sudzha offensive, when over 600 soldiers moved through Siberia-to-Europe pipelines to emerge behind Ukrainian lines and recapture towns. 

Moscow-based journalist Valery Shiryaev has said the pipeline tactic is ideal for troop movements and confusing defenders, noting that he expects its use to grow. Ukraine has responded by flooding sections and adding barbed wire, keeping key exits under Kyiv’s control.

“This is a very valuable quality for the safe movement of troops,” Shiryaev said in an interview.

He touted the drone-proof transport method as ideal for attackers and said it helps to throw Ukrainian defenders off balance.

Bloomberg adds that Russia has not officially confirmed using the tactic, and the Russian Ministry of Defense declined to comment.

By Sabina Mammadli