Operation Potok
Keen-eyed observers of the war in Ukraine may have noticed Ukrainian positions in the Kursk pocket folding up like a deck of cards, with the Russians recapturing over 12 settlements and 100 square kilometers of territory in 24 hours. Unusual, to say the least, in a war that’s been typically measured in meters. So why the sudden collapse?
Partly because of Operation Potok (Flow), which saw some 800 men infiltrate into the Ukrainian rear near Sudza via a 15 kilometer stretch of gas pipeline. Arriving at their staging posts undetected after a week of piping, the Russian combat teams moved onto their various objectives. A major engineering, logistical and tactical feat. RWA waxes lyrical from the Russian side:
“It’s hard to comprehend the scale and difficulty of this mission. Getting enough oxygen and water into the tunnel, setting up the logistics (soldiers need ammo! They need food!), dealing with the physical challenges — walking 15km through a narrow tunnel with a low ceiling (my back hurts just thinking about it) —, the psychological pressure, the darkness… and yet…
