Rubaka Battalion Destroys Invaders Using Gas Pipeline to Advance Near Novoplatonivka

The Rubaka Unmanned Systems Battalion of the 77th Air Assault Brigade destroyed a large group of Russian troops who attempted to use a gas pipeline to advance on Ukrainian defensive positions.

The DeepState Telegram channel published the video of the operation.

Russian forces tried to exploit underground infrastructure – a gas pipeline running along the Svatove–Oskil route – to covertly reach the rear or frontline positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

However, Ukrainian drone operators detected the enemy as they emerged from the pipeline and eliminated them using aerial munitions. The operation took place on December 16, north of Novoplatonivka in the Kharkiv region.

In addition to regular Russian troops, mercenaries from African countries were identified among those eliminated, whom the Russian command uses in so-called “meat assaults.”

The unit confirmed that as a result of this failed operation, the enemy lost 40 soldiers directly at the gas pipeline. Total invader losses within the brigade’s area of responsibility over the course of the day amounted to 54 military personnel.

Russian forces are increasingly using underground pipelines to approach the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. For example, in early September 2025, Russian troops established logistics through a gas pipeline in an attempt to capture the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.

The pipeline entrance is located near the village of Lyman Pershyi, while the exit is on the northern outskirts of Kupiansk, near the village of Radkivka. To move inside the pipeline, specially designed wheeled platforms are used, and where the height allows, electric scooters are employed.