Zelenskyy confirms Ukraine's 'Operation Veles' near Kupiansk, says troops advanced more than 15 km underground

As of 6:54 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday publicly confirmed "Operation Veles," an underground operation in the Kupiansk sector of Ukraine's Kharkiv region, saying Ukrainian troops had advanced more than 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) underground.

"More than 100 Russian occupiers have already been eliminated, and more than 30 have been taken prisoner. The underground advance has exceeded 15 kilometers," Zelenskyy said in posts on X and Telegram at 12:47 p.m. ET. He said Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ihor Obolenskyi and Pavlo Palisa had reported to him on the operation's initial results, and that it is being carried out by the National Guard's 2nd Corps, Khartiia.

The figures are not new. Khartiia first disclosed details of the operation on Oct. 22, saying troops had moved more than 15 km through underground routes behind Russian lines, captured more than 30 Russian soldiers and inflicted more than 100 Russian losses, Ukrainska Pravda and Hromadske reported at the time. Hromadske and other Ukrainian outlets said then that the figures could not be independently verified.

What Ukraine says

"The Russians had already tried to use underground gas pipelines to move through our positions and launch assault operations," Zelenskyy said. "Ukrainian warriors have successfully transformed this tactic, modernized it, and made it much more sophisticated and technologically advanced."

The corps' commander, Brig. Gen. Ihor Obolienskyi, said on Oct. 22 that Ukrainian forces had learned Russian troops planned to use gas pipelines to reach the Ukrainian rear and "went underground ourselves," Hromadske reported. Khartiia said the underground advance was coordinated with units above ground and drone strikes, according to Ukrainska Pravda. On Oct. 26, a Khartiia sergeant told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that the operation had cut off a pipeline route under the Oskil River that Russian forces had used to infiltrate Kupiansk, while saying Russian infiltration attempts continue, Hromadske reported.

What is not known

All casualty, prisoner and distance figures are Ukraine's own and have not been independently verified. The 15 km figure describes underground travel, not territory gained. GROKsiNEWS.com did not find a response from Russia's Defense Ministry, and no Reuters, AP or AFP report had independently confirmed the figures as of publication.