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Majority of Elite Russian Troops Hospitalized With Lung Damage After Gas Pipe Operation in Sudzha

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Majority of Elite Russian Troops Hospitalized With Lung Damage After Gas Pipe Operation in Sudzha
A fighter of the Chechen Akhmat battalion walks past destroyed houses in the village of Kazachya Loknya, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

The majority of Russian special forces operatives from the Kremlin-backed “Akhmat ” unit are recovering in military hospitals after suffering serious lung damage during a high-profile mission in Ukraine’s controlled parts of the Kursk region, according to Russian state media outlet TASS on April 28.

Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen-led “Akhmat” forces and deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Political Directorate, told TASS that most members of the “Aida” detachment are still undergoing treatment.

“Most are still recovering because the time spent directly inside that pipeline really had a major impact on their internal organs,” Alaudinov said. “Their lungs and respiratory tracts were significantly affected.” He added that “some soldiers have returned to duty.”

The mission, dubbed Operation “Potok” [“Stream”], took place in March and was widely touted by Russian propaganda outlets as a bold and historic maneuver.

According to official accounts, the soldiers crawled nearly 15 kilometers through an unused gas pipeline to infiltrate the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region and drive out Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine’s General Staff stated the attempted infiltration was anticipated and ultimately failed, resulting in heavy Russian casualties.

Several Russian military-linked Telegram channels also reported that soldiers suffered chemical injuries to their lungs during the operation, with some reportedly suffocating inside the pipe.

Estimates of the size of the Russian unit involved vary widely. RTVI, citing a former Wagner Group commander, reported that around 800 personnel took part. Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov put the figure at more than 600, while Ukrainian open-source intelligence group Dnipro OSINT estimated the force at roughly 100.

Ukrainian forces had taken control of Sudzha in a surprise offensive in August 2024, one of the most dramatic advances into Russian territory since the full-scale invasion began. Ukrainian Armed Forces held the town until March 12, 2025, when Russian troops retook it during a months-long counteroffensive.

Earlier, a Russian soldier opened fire on a family in the Belovsk district of the Kursk region on the night of April 30.

The Larin family, who have several children, were attacked during the night. 41-year-old Olesya Larina died from gunshot wounds, while her husband sustained injuries and is currently in intensive care. The children were unharmed.

According to Pepel, the Russian serviceman entered the home of the large Larin family in the village of Giryi under the pretext of checking documents and opened fire on the married couple.

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The Akhmat Special Rapid Reaction Squad is a unit of the Russian Federal Guard, actually subordinated personally to the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. The unit was created in 2009 to fight supporters of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Novaya Gazeta journalists have noted in investigations that Akhmat has been involved in kidnappings, torture and extrajudicial executions, and the unit is home to at least one secret prison. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Akhmat was ironically referred to as “tiktok-voyska” because its fighters did not participate in combat operations but filmed videos in the rear in which they simulated a fierce confrontation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.