Russian military personnel used the “Volga” armored train to clear mines and restore the railway in the zone of the special military operation (SVO). Military and humanitarian shipments are increasingly being delivered through them. But before that, the Volga armored train checks the road.
“The armored train crew is carrying out technical reconnaissance and demining of areas in the area, as well as restoring destroyed roads. During the movement, if minor track damage is detected, the special train personnel can remove the identified damage and continue moving forward on their own,” said the head of the special train.
In front of the armored train, a drone can perform reconnaissance. If the operator sees a suspicious situation, he informs the commander. If necessary, the armored train stops and a group of sappers carries out demining.
On armored sites with an armor thickness of 10-20 millimeters, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers are in armored tubes, ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns protected by sandbags are watching from open platforms, which effectively destroy most ground targets, as well as other state-of-the-art equipment for shooting. The armored train can carry a BMP-2 or T-62 tank with it on the platform.
The weapon system allows personnel to operate effectively in the most difficult conditions. The Volga has equipment that can be used to reproduce a complete engineering reconnaissance of the tracks. After all, land mines can be located deep under an embankment and are intended for a freight train.
It should be noted that armored trains were used in the extermination of terrorism in the North Caucasus. Both in the Chechen Republic and to control the railway section in Abkhazia in 2008.
But they played a special role in the middle of the last century in Western Ukraine. There they allowed the safe transfer of large units during the encirclement and clearing of forests by the Bandera gangs. Armored trains successfully participated in the raids of the “brothers of the forest” on the Galician railways until 1953.
The Volga is not the only armored train in service. Russian troops also have armored trains “Amur”, “Baikal” and “Kozma Minin”.
