Ukrainian Soldiers Move Underground Near the Front Line

Ukrainian soldiers are moving through underground positions near the front line, some of them places where troops can stay for weeks at a time. A video published by The New York Times follows correspondent Maria Varenikova as she joins Ukrainian soldiers on a journey through the kill zone, the stretch of ground under fire between opposing forces.

Reporting by The Atlantic describes a similar picture in a different setting. According to the magazine, Ukrainian soldiers emerge from a gas pipeline near the front line. It also reports that a general made his first trip into the pipes in late July.

Euronews reported on the operation itself. The mission, which Euronews said is codenamed Operation Veles, involves soldiers infiltrating, or secretly moving into, Russian positions through underground pipeline infrastructure.

Taken together, the three reports describe troops moving beneath the surface rather than across open ground, with the pipelines and underground positions serving as the routes and shelters.