The Ukrainian front in the Russian province of Kursk is at risk of collapsing after days of intensive Russian assaults were aided by a Russian surprise attack through a gas pipeline.

Seven months after Ukrainian forces seized roughly 386 square miles of Russian territory, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip for future negotiations, Ukraine is now at risk of losing its bargaining chip entirely. A week of intense Russian assaults all along the line was capped off with a daring assault through a 56-inch diameter gas pipeline by Russian forces, traveling nearly nine miles before emerging behind Ukrainian lines.