Ukraine Takes the War Underground—First Footage of Secret Operation VELES Emerges

Ukraine’s 2nd Khartiia Corps of the National Guard has released the first footage from Operation VELES, a joint underground operation being conducted with other units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the corps reported on October 21.

The newly released video shows Ukrainian troops operating beneath the surface, but Khartiia has so far withheld virtually every other detail.

The unit has not disclosed the mission’s location, objectives, duration, or how the operation is unfolding, leaving only a first glimpse of what appears to be a new response to an increasingly drone-dominated battlefield.

Khartiia said constant aerial surveillance has made open movement across the surface increasingly dangerous, forcing troops to adapt how they maneuver, conceal themselves, and conduct operations.

“When the battlefield became transparent, the war went underground,” the corps said.

Operation VELES is being carried out jointly by Khartiia and other Ukrainian Defense Forces units. The corps has not identified the other formations involved.

Brig. Gen. Ihor Obolenskyi, commander of the 2nd Khartiia Corps, praised the personnel taking part in the operation.

“We have unique people; we are an unbeatable nation,” Obolenskyi said.

The corps promised to disclose more about Operation VELES in the near future.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi ended with 277 square kilometers retaken and at least 8,000 Russian troops killed or wounded.

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