What will the new units in the Northern Fleet do?
Arctic railway units will appear as part of the Northern Fleet — they will be engaged in the repair and maintenance of tracks in the Arctic, Izvestia found out. The first company has already been created, and based on the experience of its work, the Ministry of Defense plans to increase the number of such units. The development of the railway network in the northern regions is especially important against the background of Finland's accession to NATO and Sweden's aspirations to join the alliance, this type of transport is ideal for the rapid transfer of weapons, troops and their supplies, experts noted.
Flight to the Arctic
Special railway units will appear as part of the Northern Fleet, sources told Izvestia in the military department. They will be engaged in the repair, maintenance and operation of tracks in the Arctic. This is necessary to ensure the supply of weapons, fuel, and other materiel. The units are equipped with special equipment for working in Arctic conditions.
The first railway company was formed last year. Based on the experience of her work, it was decided to create new similar formations, sources told Izvestia.
The Russian railway troops have experience working in such harsh conditions. Since 2021, they have been engaged in the reconstruction of one of the most difficult sections of the Baikal-Amur mainline. There they honed their skills in building paths in permafrost.
Russian military personnel of the railway troops repair a section of the railway track in the southern sector of a special military operation
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Galperin
The development of railways in Artik, Eastern Siberia and the Far East is one of the most important directions in the economic development of the country and strengthening the security system, Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, Associate Professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia.
— Railways are the cheapest and fastest transport. They allow you to maneuver and solve all kinds of problems, in particular, supply and troop transfer. It is much more expensive to use helicopters or icebreakers for this," he explained. — We need to protect our Arctic borders due to the fact that the threat from the United States is increasing. The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is connected with the struggle for the Arctic. And Russia is preparing for this.
According to the expert, railways allow solving problems in three important areas: economic, social and military. Thanks to them, the Russian economy will develop, infrastructure will be built to protect the seashores, and most importantly, people in these places will live more comfortably.
A serviceman of the Central Military District launches a copter from a special armored train "Yenisei" in the Krasnolimansky direction of his
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
— Railways are the land artery along the Northern Sea Route. Putting artillery somewhere in one place, and then moving it is more difficult than launching an armored train armed with various artillery installations to protect our sea coasts from enemy encroachments," Perendzhiev stressed.
There are specific working conditions in the North: a very long winter, marshy terrain — this affects the condition of roads, equipment and people's work, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
— When laying tracks and operating them in the Arctic, many nuances must be taken into account. But railway workers are no stranger to such conditions, these are seasoned and proven people. They have already proved themselves in battles in the zone of a special military operation," he explained. — Railway troops are an integral part of the rear of the armed forces. Now there is a new NATO member — Finland. This means that the alliance is practically at our gates: not far from St. Petersburg, and then the Karelian Isthmus, Karelia, and the Murmansk region. This somehow forces Russia to create new compounds, parts.
There was a use
In the post-Soviet period, the railway went through a difficult period. At first, they were allocated to a separate department — the Federal Service of Railway Troops. They were in this status until 2002. In the wake of the reforms of the late 2000s, they were planned to be transferred from the Ministry of Defense to another department or even abolished. However, the events of 2014 have shown that such a structure within the armed forces is necessary. It was these troops who were tasked with building a railway line bypassing the territory of Ukraine. As a result, the Zhuravka – Millerovo section was built ahead of schedule.
In the future, the railway troops found a new use: they began to be actively involved in the elimination of the consequences of natural disasters. In particular, in 2019, they eliminated the consequences of flooding in the Irkutsk region: they repaired roads and buildings, cleared the area.
A serviceman of the Russian railway troops at the Amur armored train in the southern sector of a special military operation
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Galperin
In the zone of a special military operation, the railway conducts technical reconnaissance, mine clearance of the railway, bridges are being built, rubble is being cleared, and earthworks are being carried out.
The railway troops have special trains "Baikal", "Amur", "Volga" and "Yenisei". They accompany trains with military supplies and repair damaged sections of railway tracks. Repair units and mobile tactical groups are present at each one. The personnel performs supporting functions and is engaged in engineering reconnaissance along the route. The platforms of the armored trains are loaded with rails and sleepers, thanks to this, the personnel can restore up to 100 m of the upper structure of the track on their own.
In addition, the trains are armed with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft 23 mm guns for destroying air and ground targets, and AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers. They also have electronic warfare equipment to suppress radio-controlled explosive devices and drones to conduct reconnaissance of traffic routes.
Military personnel of the Central Military District are engaged in combat work on a special armored train "Yenisei" in the Krasnolimansky direction of their
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
As Oleg Kosenkov, head of the main Directorate of the railway troops, told Izvestia in an interview in early 2022, these trains are always in a "hot" state, i.e. they are not jammed. They are ready to operate from the wheels in any conditions and must be at the departure station within an hour to start moving to the designated place.
In the spring of last year, the military department published footage of the Baikal combat team. "There were attacks. And HIMARS tried to get us, and sabotage groups worked, and went off the rails," said the head of the special train with the call sign Terek. During the movement along the route, the crew monitors the terrain, checks the railway track and the nearest territory for the presence of mine explosive devices.
Alexey Mikhailov
Andrey Fedorov
Julia Leonova