Ukraine Masses Drones Over Russia as ‘Operation Veles’ Targets Rear Near Kupiansk
Russian monitoring channels report about 300 Ukrainian drones in the sky over Russia and occupied regions, while Ukrainian accounts describe Operation Veles, a Kupiansk‑area raid that used underground gas pipelines to reach Russian rear positions and allegedly killed more than 100 soldiers.
Reports from both sides point to Ukraine expanding the war’s footprint into Russian territory and rear areas near the front. On 28 October, Russian monitoring channels said roughly 300 Ukrainian drones were in the sky over Russia and occupied regions, with launches still underway. In the same period, Ukrainian sources highlighted Operation Veles, an action near Kupiansk that they say pushed troops through underground gas pipelines into Russian rear lines and resulted in more than 100 Russian soldiers killed.
The drone reports describe a broad arc of airspace under pressure. Unmanned aerial vehicles were tracked over Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk and Voronezh regions, with further movements noted toward Lipetsk, Kaluga, Oryol, Tula and the Moscow region. Russian accounts claim 90 drones were downed, but they don’t specify how many may have reached targets or what damage was caused.
If the Russian description of roughly 300 drones in flight is accurate, this would represent one of Ukraine’s larger single‑wave UAV efforts, using numbers to stress air defenses over a wide area. The mix of reconnaissance and explosive drones in such operations isn’t detailed in the public reporting, but the intent is to test and saturate Russian systems across multiple regions at once.
Operation Veles, as described in Ukrainian reporting, took a different approach. The Khartiya Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard is said to have infiltrated Russian rear positions in the Kupiansk sector by moving troops through underground gas pipelines. Ukrainian sources claim that this raid led to more than 100 Russian soldiers being killed. Independent verification of that figure isn’t provided in the available material.
For people living in Russia’s border areas and regions closer to Moscow, the reported drone wave brings the war’s effects deeper into the country. Air‑raid alerts, intercepted drones and debris can disrupt daily life and feed public awareness that Ukrainian forces are trying to hit military or infrastructure targets far from the front line.
Along the Kupiansk front, the description of Ukrainian forces using gas pipelines to bypass Russian positions points to evolving tactics around fixed defenses. Russian units that regarded certain areas as rear or support zones now face the risk of surprise attacks emerging from civilian infrastructure networks beneath the surface.
The reports also hint at Ukraine’s broader operational aim: to force Russian commanders to disperse air defenses and manpower across a larger area. A large drone campaign stretching over multiple regions, paired with raids behind the front, increases the number of places where Russia has to be ready for strikes.
Observers will be looking for evidence of how effective the drone wave was, any Russian counter‑attacks linked to Operation Veles, and whether Moscow adjusts its public messaging about security in the affected regions. The persistence and scale of future Ukrainian drone launches, and Russian claims about intercept rates and damage, will help indicate whether this approach is sustainable.
Sources
- OSINT