Underground operations allow Russian troops to carry out successful tactical missions against Ukrainian forces, but they are unlikely to fundamentally change the course of the conflict, according to retired Russian Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok, a military analyst for Gazeta. Ru.

Khodarenok was responding to reports in the American media describing the emergence of an underground front in the zone of Russia’s special military operation.

He argued that the importance of this form of warfare has been exaggerated, particularly suggestions that underground combat could become the dominant method of military operations.

Russian forces have used existing gas pipelines and other underground infrastructure to move troops covertly and reach positions behind Ukrainian defensive lines.

Such routes can provide a significant tactical advantage in individual operations by allowing military personnel to approach enemy positions without being detected.

Khodarenok pointed to an operation in which Russian troops used a gas pipeline to infiltrate the rear of Ukrainian forces. He also recalled the use of underground passages during the assault on Avdeyevka.

According to the retired colonel, these operations demonstrate the effectiveness of underground routes for accomplishing specific battlefield objectives rather than achieving broader strategic changes.

He emphasized that underground warfare is not a new military concept. Armies used tunnels, excavations and other subterranean routes during both World War I and World War II.

The analyst stressed that successful underground infiltration should not be confused with a fundamental transformation of modern warfare.

In his assessment, underground operations will remain a useful tactical instrument, but conventional military operations will continue to play the central role in the conflict.