Russia’s railway to Ukraine is already complete

Russia reportedly already completed a railway running from Rostov-on-Don, in the country’s southwest, to Mariupol, in the Ukrainian territory currently occupied by the Kremlin. “This is the conclusion we come to after monitoring and recording traffic along key stations since Wednesday”, said Petr Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol.

During the monitoring operations, Russian Railways rolling stock was spotted in three different stations near Mariupol, Andryushchenko explained on Telegram. More specifically, four Russian Railways carrying two freight trains were seen at the Aslanove station, another one was found at Kal’chyk station, and seven passenger wagons were noticed at the Sartana station.

More capacity than the Kerch Bridge

The construction of this railway was announced by Russian officials in November 2023. According to Andryushchenko, the line passes through Hranitne and Malovodne, both in Donetsk, the same Ukrainian region as Mariupol.“This can dramatically change the situation at the front by improving the logistics of the Russians”, he stated.

He also added that this new line should not be considered as an alternative to the Crimea Bridge, which crosses the Kerch Strait and was bombed by Ukrainian drones in October 2022. “This is an independent autonomous branch line that currently has more capacity and power than the bridge”, Andryushchenko concluded.