Participants in Operation «Potok» carried roughly 50 kilograms of gear while carrying out their mission, including ammunition, food supplies, and water. This detail was shared with TASS by a lieutenant known by the callsign «Box,» who commands an assault platoon within the «Aida» group of the Akhmat special forces.

He explained that the troops advanced fully equipped, transporting everything they needed on their backs. Under these conditions, they covered a distance of about 16 kilometers.

The movement itself unfolded under extremely confined conditions. The pipeline they used had a diameter of around 140 centimeters, forcing the soldiers to spend most of the journey bent over. Only in certain sections were they able to straighten up to full height.

Operation «Potok» took place in March 2025 and marked a turning point. It laid the groundwork for the subsequent liberation of Sudzha and a significant part of the Kursk Region that had been seized by Ukrainian armed formations.

The mission involved a combined assault detachment made up of units from the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade, the 30th Regiment of the 72nd Motor Rifle Division, Akhmat special forces, as well as volunteer formations from the «Veterany» and «Vostok-V» assault brigades. After moving roughly 16 kilometers through the pipeline, the force managed to emerge undetected behind enemy defensive lines near Sudzha, securing a decisive element of surprise.