Bloggers say that Russia used a gas pipeline to surprise Ukrainian troops in Kursk.

Pro-Russian bloggers reported that Russia stormed the town of Sudzha Sunday, after special forces surprised Ukrainian units with a gas pipe as part of a massive offensive to eject Ukrainian troops from the western Russian region Kursk.

In August of last year, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers took over about 1,300 sq km of Russia's Kursk Region in an effort to gain bargaining power in future negotiations as well as to force Russia to withdraw its military forces from eastern Ukraine.

Yuri Podolyaka is a pro-Russian blogger who was born in Ukraine. He said that Russian special forces walked 15 km inside a major pipeline, and spent days there before shocking Ukrainian forces near Sudzha from behind.

Sudzha houses major measuring and gas transfer stations along a pipeline which used to transport Russian natural gas to the Ukrainian transmission system to be transported to Europe.

Two Majors, a pro-Russian blogger and war reporter, said that a major battle for Sudzha was underway. He also claimed that Russian forces surprised Ukrainian soldiers when they entered the town through a major pipeline.

Russian Telegram channels displayed pictures of special forces wearing gas masks with lights and some using colorful Russian curses along the inside what appeared to be a large pipe.

I was not able to confirm the reports right away.

"The fighting continued through the night in Sudzha," Podolyaka said. "The fighting didn't stop."

Another blogger, Yuri Kotenok said that Ukrainian troops have moved equipment closer to the border, away from Sudzha.

Our units are currently attacking the north-eastern area of Sudzha, and fighting around the? Kotenok stated that the Lomonosov Street, and Sudzha's industrial zone were under attack.

The Ukraine's incursion in Kursk last august was the most serious assault on Russian territory since 1941, when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union.

Over the past few weeks and months, Russian troops have forced Ukrainian forces across the Kursk Front, putting tens or thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in danger of being trapped. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman, Guy Faulconbridge)

(source: Reuters)