Russians crawl through a gas pipeline from Sudzha for two weeks to attack Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast

Six Russian troops who tried to crawl through a gas pipeline from the Russian town of Sudzha into Ukrainian-held territory in Sumy Oblast on 29 April were all killed by Ukraine's 71st Separate Air Assault Brigade, the brigade's communications unit told NV. The latest failed infiltration is part of a tactic Russia has been using along Ukraine's Northern-Slobozhansky front since at least January 2026, with well over a hundred Russian dead to show for it. Such infiltration attempts occur almost daily, says Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Lubenets, the Brigade's deputy chief of staff for combat command.

How the pipeline route works

Russian assault groups enter the gas pipeline near the Russian town of Sudzha, about 10 km from the Ukrainian border, and crawl through the pipe for roughly two weeks before reaching the exit point and receiving the order to attack, Lubenets told NV.

"Such groups crawl in almost every day," Lubenets said.

The Russian command's goal is to enter Ukrainian territory and dig in, Lubenets explained, "because they (the Russians, — Ed.) already reported a long time ago that they're already there, when they aren't."

The pipeline serves as a covert route for small infantry groups and light mobile vehicles. Russian troops use it to bring through quad bikes, motorcycles, and, in winter, snowmobiles, covering many kilometers through the pipe. They also split into multiple assault groups and try to use bad weather as cover.

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Months of repeated attempts

Ukraine's 71st Air Assault Brigade has been documenting and breaking up these infiltration attempts since at least January 2026, the Brigade said. The pattern is systemic.

• In early January, during a massed combined assault between the villages of Andriivka and Oleksiivka, Russian troops tried to enter in several groups. Some used the gas pipeline to approach positions, while others attacked on quad bikes from different directions. Russia lost 42 troops killed in that attempt, and 10 quad bikes were destroyed.
• In early February, Russia tried again — this time moving infantry through the gas pipeline in four groups, with additional snowmobile breakthrough attempts. Russia lost 24 killed and six taken prisoner.
• In early April, 32 Russian troops tried to infiltrate through the pipeline using bad weather as cover. Reconnaissance, drones, and artillery detected the movement and destroyed all the groups. A week later, Russia tried another combined breakthrough using the pipeline alongside quad bikes and motorcycles. That attempt cost Russia 35 killed and 17 wounded, and Ukrainian troops destroyed three motorcycles and four quad bikes.

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A tactic that keeps killing the troops who use it

All recorded infiltration attempts were detected and disrupted by reconnaissance, drone crews, and artillery of the 71st Air Assault Brigade in coordination with neighboring units, according to the Brigade. Despite catastrophic losses, the Russian command keeps pushing the same tactic in the Sumy sector. 

Russian forces have been trying the same pipeline tactic in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, in recent days.