Russian forces conducted an underground infiltration mission through a gas pipeline near Kupiansk, marking the third documented use of this tactic during the war, according to a Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR)-affiliated source.

The operation began when Russian forces “entered a gas pipeline from a wooded area near Lyman Pershyi (northeast of Kupiansk), traveled through the pipe for an estimated four days with electric scooters and modified wheeled stretchers, and exited the pipe near Radkivka (immediately north of Kupiansk),” the Ukrainian source reported on 12 September, according to the ISW.

After emerging from the pipeline, Russian forces advanced toward Kupiansk and the nearby railway line, according to the intelligence source. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the mission occurred but stated that Russian forces “are accumulating on the northern outskirts of Kupiansk but have not entered Kupiansk itself.”

Ukrainian forces have since responded to neutralize the infiltration route. “Ukrainian forces have since struck and damaged the pipeline and Russian forces are no longer able to advance through the pipeline,” stated the commander of a Ukrainian drone regiment operating in the Kupiansk direction.

Russian military bloggers suggested uncertainty about the mission’s timing, with some claiming “Russian forces may have advanced through the gas pipeline in early September 2025, indicating that the footage may be up to a week and a half old.”

Kupiansk Military Administration Head Andriy Besedin clarified the current situation on September 13, stating that “Russian forces do not currently hold positions in Kupiansk but fighting is ongoing near the outskirts of the city.”

Pattern of tactical innovation spreads across front lines

This marks the third documented use of pipeline infiltration tactics by Russian forces. Previous operations occurred in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast in January 2024 and in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast in March 2025, with elements of the Russian 60th Veterany Separate Assault Brigade participating in both earlier missions.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the spread of this tactic indicates improved knowledge transfer within Russian military command. ISW has not observed reports of the 60th Veterany Brigade operating in the Kupiansk direction, “indicating that the Russian military command is disseminating the brigade’s knowledge and success in such missions to other units and formations.”

ISW previously noted in January 2025 that “the Russian military command appeared to be at least attempting to improve its ability to disseminate lessons learned, given that Russian forces are exhibiting similar operational patterns across the front line.”

The tactic may also reflect individual unit adaptation to Ukrainian drone capabilities, as pipelines “provide Russian forces with natural cover and concealment that can enable forward movement,” according to ISW analysis.

International condemnation grows over Polish airspace violation

The international community has intensified criticism of Russia’s recent drone incursion into Poland. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki presented a joint statement at the United Nations on 12 September, in which nearly 50 countries condemned Russia’s violation of Polish airspace on 9-10 September with 19 drones.

“Russia purposely violated Poland’s territorial integrity and trespassed against NATO and the EU,” Bosacki stated at the UN.

Ukrainian Permanent Representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk characterized the incident as deliberate provocation, stating that Ukraine shares Poland’s view that “the Russian drone incursion was not a technical error, but rather a deliberate act aimed at escalating tensions and testing the international community’s response to ongoing Russian aggression.”

US Acting Permanent Representative Dorothy Shea reinforced NATO commitments, reiterating that the United States remains committed to defending “every inch of NATO.” Shea linked the airspace violation to broader Russian escalation, noting that “Russia has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine following the US-Russia Alaska Summit on August 15” and that such actions demonstrate “immense disrespect for good faith US efforts” to usher in peace.

Russian and Belarusian denials contradicted by evidence

Russian and Belarusian officials have attempted to deflect responsibility for the airspace violation. Russian UN Representative Vasily Nebenzya claimed Poland “hastened to place the blame on Russia without presenting any evidence linking Russia to the incident.”

Nebenzya argued the drones could not be Russian because “the range of the drones found in Poland does not exceed 700 kilometers.” The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed Russia “refuted the speculations… about plans to attack one of the NATO countries.”

Belarusian UN representative Artem Tozik dismissed Poland’s accusations as “baseless” and claimed Belarus “was the first to inform Poland about the approach of drones that ‘went off course’ during the overnight Russian strikes against Ukraine.”

However, physical evidence undermines these denials. Sky News published images of Russian Gerbera drones that landed in Poland, while Bosacki shared images showing Cyrillic letters on the drones at the UN Security Council meeting.

Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi’s analysis of Sky News images revealed the drone was equipped with “an Iranian-made Tallysman satellite navigation four-channel controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA).” These devices “filter out false signal sources from electronic warfare systems in order to make the drone more resistant to EW,” making it “unlikely that these Russian drones flew off course due to EW jamming.”

The scale of the September 9-10 incursion involving at least 19 drones “is roughly three times the number of projectiles that have breached Polish airspace during the entirety of Russia’s full-scale invasion.” ISW assessment indicates it is “extremely unlikely that such a concentrated number of drones could have violated Polish airspace accidentally or due to technical or operator error.”

Additional evidence includes fuel tanks that extended drone range “as far as 900 kilometers,” contradicting Nebenzya’s range-based denial, according to ISW analysis.

Ukrainian military analysts from the DeepState project report that Russian forces have used underground pipes for the third time to infiltrate their groups, following previous incidents near Sudzha, Russia, and in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast.

According to DeepState, “Entrances to the pipe are located in the Lyman Pershyi area. For movement through the pipe, specially developed wheeled stretchers are used, as well as electric scooters where height allows.”

The infiltration route represents a four-day journey to the outskirts of Kupiansk.

“The route to the vicinity of Kupiansk takes approximately 4 days, so special rest areas and food supplies have been prepared along the way,” DeepState analysts reported.

According to the Deep State, organized Russian groups reach Radkivka without serious losses, and then move south to the forest they control. After this, they disperse in Kupiansk and reach the railway.

Once in Kupiansk, Russian forces have established operational infrastructure. According to the analysts, positions for launching Russian FPV pilots are already present within the city itself.

The presence of Russian forces in Kupiansk creates additional operational challenges for Ukrainian forces. Deep State reported that the problem lies in the absence of forced evacuation of local residents who remain in the same buildings as the enemy, which prevents strikes from being carried out.

This infiltration method follows a pattern established in March, when approximately one hundred Russian military personnel passed through a gas pipeline to Defense Forces positions in the Sudzha area on the morning of 8 March.

US President Donald Trump’s misreading of Russia has cost Ukraine dearly. Russian forces exploited the first half-year of the new US presidency to advance on the front lines and kill civilians, taking advantage of a flawed understanding of Moscow’s mindset.

Sanctions will not alter the Kremlin’s goal

Trump has expressed willingness to impose sanctions on Russia, yet economic pressure alone will not deter Putin from his primary objective: defeating Ukraine.

The American leader’s challenge is immense: inflict enough damage on Moscow to change its behavior while keeping diplomatic channels open.

In practice, this is impossible, as Putin does not seek peace, and confusion in Trump’s thinking only exacerbates the problem.

Putin exploits time and allies

The past eight months of American governance have been wasted from the perspective of strategic defense for Ukraine and Europe, allowing Moscow to strengthen its position.

After attacks on the offices of the EU, the British Council, and Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, it became clear that Putin acts with impunity.

A meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping reinforced his sense of support from international allies, and Moscow continues to receive money, weapons, hydrocarbons, and even special forces from North Korea.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials fear new attacks on Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and advances north toward Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. The Kremlin’s time gain gives Putin a strategic advantage that Washington has yet to offset. Clearly, this approach requires urgent change.

The Institute for the Study of War reported on 30 August that the Kremlin appears to have launched a coordinated informational effort posturing military strength on the battlefield in order to shape Western thinking and falsely portray a Russian victory as “inevitable.”

The Kremlin’s presentation of likely inflated territorial gain statistics without critical context for the losses for those gains is likely an attempt to manipulate perceptions about Russia’s military performance and buttress a longstanding Kremlin narrative that Russia’s victory on the battlefield is inevitable. It is not.

Russian generals inflate battlefield numbers

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed on 30 August that Russian forces had seized 3,500 square kilometers and 149 settlements since March 2025. ISW assessed the real figure is about 2,346 square kilometers and 130 settlements. The Kremlin claims include exaggerated control in Sumy Oblast, Kupiansk, Lyman, and other directions.

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov claimed Russia was gaining 600–700 square kilometers per month. ISW calculated only 440–500 per month.

Real losses contradict Russian narrative

Russian non-Kremlin-aligned reported on 29 August that RND inheritance data suggests at least 93,000 Russian soldiers died in 2024, and 56,000 more since the start of 2025. By mid-2025, inheritance cases reached 2,000 per week. Most new missing persons rulings involved men.

ISW says these losses are unsustainable. Russia’s advance remains slow. It uses light vehicles and infiltration tactics, but cannot consolidate gains. The Kremlin’s statistics paint an incomplete picture of its battlefield performance.

Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Myrne near Kupiansk, removing a key Russian position used to control the approach road to the city, Suspilne and Deep State reported. 

Ukrainian troops take back Myrne near Kupiansk

Suspilne reports that Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the “Dnipro” operational-strategic grouping of forces, confirmed on the evening of 30 August that Myrne had been freed from Russian control.

“As of now, Russians have been pushed out of Myrne. There’s no information on wounded or killed enemy troops. Our forces are advancing further,” he said.

Maps published by DeepState on 29 August had already shown that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had regained control over the village, located northwest of Kupiansk. The settlement had allowed Russian forces to observe and control the road leading directly into the city.

Russian forces launch new attacks after losing ground

On 31 August, the General Staff of Ukraine reported nine Russian attacks over the previous day targeting positions near Petropavlivka and Kupiansk. Militarnyi notes that Russian troops are concentrating combat-ready units north of Kupiansk, continuing to exert pressure on Ukrainian defenses.

Despite this, Ukrainian forces are holding their lines. Units from Ukraine’s 10th Army Corps, together with attached elements, recently repelled the first Russian mechanized assault in this direction in a long time.