Russian forces use gas pipeline to attack Ukrainian troops in Kursk

Published

11 months ago

March 10, 2025

Russian forces crawled through a 1.4-metre-wide unused gas pipeline to attack Ukrainian troops in Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed.

The audacious plan came as Moscow moved to recapture parts of its border province that Kyiv had seized in a shock offensive last August.

According to Telegram posts by a pro-Kremlin blogger, Russian soldiers walked about 15 kilometres inside the pipeline, which Moscow had until recently used to send gas to Europe.

Some Russian troops had spent several days in the pipe before striking Ukrainian units from the rear near the town of Sudzha, Podolyaka claimed.

The Russian town of some 5,000 residents houses major gas transfer and measuring stations along the pipeline and was once a major outlet for Russian natural gas exports through Ukrainian territory.

Another war blogger, who uses the alias “Two Majors,” said fierce fighting for Sudzha was under way, and that Russian forces managed to enter the town through a gas pipeline. Russian Telegram channels showed photos of what they said were special forces operatives, wearing gas masks and moving along what looked like the inside of a large pipe.

Euronews could not independently confirm these claims.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Saturday evening that Russian “sabotage and assault groups” used the pipeline in a bid to gain a foothold outside Sudzha. In a Telegram post, it said Russian troops were “detected in a timely manner” and that Ukraine responded with rockets and artillery.

“At present, Russian special forces are being detected, blocked and destroyed. The enemy’s losses in Sudzha are very high,” the General Staff reported.

Largest attack on Russia since WWII

Ukraine launched in August a daring cross-border incursion into Kursk, in what marked the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II. Within days, Ukrainian units had captured 1,000 square kilometres of territory, including the strategic border town of Sudzha, and taken hundreds of Russian prisoners of war.

According to analysts, the operation aimed to gain a bargaining chip in future peace talks and force Russia to divert troops away from its grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow has since used some 50,000 troops, including North Korean soldiers, to push back the Ukrainian forces, reports claim.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday reported that its troops have taken the village of Lebedevka, some 12 kilometres northwest of Sudzha, and inflicted defeats on multiple Ukrainian units in and near the town. It did not specify when precisely these clashes took place. Kyiv did not immediately comment on the Russian ministry’s claims.

France announces new aid package for Ukraine

Meanwhile, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Sunday that France will use profits from frozen Russian assets to finance an additional 195 million euros package in arms for Ukraine, the latest in a series of military aid deliveries funded through the mechanism.

In an interview with the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper, Lecornu said that Paris will send new 155 mm artillery shells and glide bombs for Mirage 2000 fighter jets it previously gave to Ukraine.

The move prompted an angry response from the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin. A statement by the State Duma’s press service Sunday cited Volodin as saying that Paris “will answer for its actions” and eventually have to return what Volodin called “stolen” funds.

Elsewhere, Russian officials and Telegram channels reported that Ukrainian drones targeted oil infrastructure in south and central Russia overnight into early Sunday.

One drone struck an oil depot in Cheboksary, a Russian city on the Volga River about 1,000 kilometres from the border, the local governor reported. According to Oleg Nikolaev, nobody was hurt, but the depot needed reconstruction.

Footage circulated on Russian Telegram channels showed what appeared to be a fire at or near one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in the southern city of Ryazan. Shot, a news channel on Telegram, cited local residents as saying they heard several nighttime blasts near the refinery.

Local Governor Pavel Malkov said Ukrainian drones had been shot down nearby. He claimed there had been no casualties or damage.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on either incident. Euronews could not independently verify these claims.

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Gunmen k!ll President General of Ogidi community and one other in Anambra.

Published

2 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, have k!lled a community leader and one other person in Anambra State.

The President-General of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ikwuka Okoye, popularly known as Anumili (pictured above), was k!lled on Friday, Feb. 6.

The attack was alleged to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group in revenge for the de@th of their leader, who was arrested and k!lled by local security operatives.

During the attack, which took place at the School Field, Ogidi, another man whose identity has yet to be ascertained was also gunned down.

The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a press statement on Saturday.

Ikenga said the incident is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.

He said, “The Anambra State Police Command regrets the murd£r of the President-General of the Ogidi community and one other person. The incident, which occurred on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the School Field, Ogidi, is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.

“Following the report, police operatives swiftly took over the scene of the incident and commenced investigations. The command is currently working with eyewitness accounts and other available intelligence to identify and arrest the perpetrators.

“The Anambra State Police Command assures members of the public that all efforts are being intensified to bring those responsible to justice.

“Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.

“Further developments will be communicated in due course.”

Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

Published

17 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

Published

21 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.