Ukraine and Russia are taking the war underground as drones saturate the battlefield

Ukraine has adopted underground warfare tactics, previously used by Russia, to confront enemy forces in disused gas pipelines. President Zelensky announced the success of Operation Veles, where Ukrainian troops advanced 15 kilometers into a pipeline network, eliminating around 100 Russian soldiers. Experts note that while these tactics are not new, Ukraine has modernized them for their own use. The underground front offers protection from drone attacks, which have caused significant casualties in the conflict. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is limited by the infrastructure available and the narrowness of the tunnels, making large-scale offensives challenging.