A new video circulating online shows Russian soldiers moving inside a pipeline. The footage captures several servicemen crawling through a tube about 50 centimeters in diameter, using a makeshift wheeled cart to transport military equipment.

Similar mobile platforms had been used earlier during Operation Stream, carried out in the liberation of Sudzha in Kursk Region. At that time, around 800 Russian troops infiltrated the rear of Ukrainian forces through a branch of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline. The sudden emergence of Russian assault groups from underground took Ukrainian units by surprise, leading them to abandon the city in disarray.

Military analysts noted that if the current video is authentic and not staged, it may indicate preparations for, or even the execution of, another operation similar to Stream.

It is worth noting that a network of trunk gas pipelines runs beneath major cities of Donbass, including Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, and Krasnoarmeisk (Ukrainian name — Pokrovsk). This underground infrastructure could provide Russian troops with opportunities to emerge unexpectedly in different urban areas.

Underground routes have previously played a significant role in successful operations, such as the battles for Avdeevka and Chasov Yar.