The Ukrainian and Russian armies are increasingly fighting underground, using old Soviet-era pipelines, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Despite the danger and the pervasive sense of claustrophobia, Ukrainian soldiers told their officers that they often prefer these underground battles to fighting on the surface, where drones pose a constant threat," the article states. According to Ukrainian military personnel, Russia is preparing entire units specializing in underground combat. Russian forces use underground pipes to covertly travel several kilometers, emerge behind Ukrainian Armed Forces lines, and launch drones from there. Initially, Ukrainian forces tried to destroy the pipe exits with artillery and airstrikes, but the Russians simply cut new openings. The Ukrainian troops then began waging a full-scale war underground. Inside the pipes, which are approximately 1.2 meters in diameter, Russian forces have set up machine-gun positions, sandbag barricades, and even living quarters where soldiers have spent months. The Ukrainians send in ground drones equipped with explosives and remotely operated machine guns. The WSJ notes that similar fighting could spread to other sections of the front line, and that Soviet-era pipeline networks extend toward Poland and the Baltic states as well. 📹: Khartiia Brigade