---
title: "Operation Veles near Kupiansk: Zelenskyy Reports 15 km Underground Advance and Hundreds of Destroyed Occupants"
description: "Zelenskyy announced Operation Veles by the National Guard's 2nd Corps 'Khartia' near Kupiansk: over 100 occupiers destroyed, 30+ captured, and an underground advance of over 15 km."
date: 2026-10-27T17:29:02.903Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kupiansk-operation-veles-underground-advance
tags: [ukraine-war, kupiansk, national-guard, zelensky, military-operation]
author: "Andrey Kosynko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Operation Veles near Kupiansk: Zelenskyy Reports 15 km Underground Advance and Hundreds of Destroyed Occupants

![Ukrainian soldiers in full combat gear inside a fortified room](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/27/kupiansk-operatsiya-veles-podzemnoe-prodvizhenie/kupiansk-operatsiya-veles-podzemnoe-prodvizhenie-1.webp)

## Key Points

- In the Kupiansk direction, the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Khartia' is conducting Operation Veles.
- According to Zelenskyy, over 100 occupiers have been destroyed, 30+ taken prisoner, and the underground advance exceeds 15 km.
- Kyiv claims it has transformed the Russian tactic of using underground gas infrastructure.

### Special Operation Veles in the Kupiansk Direction

In the Kupiansk direction, Ukraine's Defense Forces are conducting a special operation codenamed Veles. According to RBC-Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this, reporting the first results of its combat deployment. According to the head of state, the operation is being carried out by the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Khartia'. Ukrainian media reported that Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ihor Obolenskyi, and Pavlo Palisa participated in the briefing on the progress of the operation and its initial results.

### Underground Advance Through Gas Infrastructure

The president called the tactic of underground advance a key feature of Operation Veles. Zelenskyy recalled that the Russian military had previously tried to use underground gas infrastructure to pass through the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and launch assault operations. According to him, Ukrainian warriors «successfully transformed this tactic, modernized it, made it significantly more thoughtful and technological». Thus, according to the president's statement, the Ukrainian side adopted and refined a method initially used by the enemy.

### Results According to the President's Statement

Zelenskyy cited specific figures: «Over a hundred Russian occupiers have already been destroyed, more than thirty taken prisoner. Underground advance is over 15 kilometers». The head of state emphasized that such tactics allow for «saving the lives of our people, inflicting damage on the occupier, and achieving certain goals in the Kupiansk direction». These data were announced by the president in his address and transmitted by Ukrainian news agencies.

### Context: ISW Analytics on Operation Vivaldi

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on the results of another Ukrainian operation — Vivaldi. According to analysts, during this operation, the Ukrainian military inflicted such damage on the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Armed Forces that the formation effectively ceased to exist as an organized combat unit. These ISW assessments are provided as additional context to the general dynamics of combat operations in the eastern sector of the front, where, according to Kyiv's statements, underground tactics are also being employed.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Продвижение под землей - более 15 км: Зеленский об операции "Велес" под Купянском](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prosuvannya-pid-zemleyu-ponad-15-km-zelenskiy-1793121094.html) - Primary source: Zelenskyy's statement on Operation Veles, National Guard's 2nd Corps 'Khartia', 100+ destroyed, 30+ captured, 15+ km underground.
- [Силы обороны продвинулись под землей более чем на 15 км на Купянском направлении, - Зеленский](https://www.unian.net/war/voyna-v-ukraine-sily-oborony-prodvinulis-pod-zemley-na-kupyanskom-napravlenii-13541856.html) - Confirms the same figures and adds the names of the speakers (Drapatyi, Obolenskyi, Palisa) and the transformation of gas infrastructure tactics.

## FAQ

### Who is conducting Operation Veles?

According to Zelenskyy, the operation in the Kupiansk direction is being conducted by the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Khartia'.

### What results of the operation were announced?

Zelenskyy reported the destruction of over a hundred occupiers, the capture of more than thirty, and an underground advance of more than 15 kilometers.

### What is the special feature of the operation's tactics?

According to the president, the Ukrainian side transformed and modernized the Russian tactic of using underground gas infrastructure to advance.