The railway in Ukraine has become a real symbol of Ukrainian resistance. The outcome of the war will largely depend on its serviceability. It is no coincidence that Russia is furiously attacking stations, substations and bridges, writes “Deutsche Welle“.
Trains on the Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia railway still run almost regularly, although Russian troops have significantly stepped up strikes on the country’s rail network over the past two weeks.
A railway bridge over the Dnieper River was severely damaged on Wednesday, stations in western and southern Ukraine were bombed a day earlier, and similar attacks took place earlier, including against a station in Kramatorsk that killed at least 50 people. souls. In particular, provincial stations, power substations and railway bridges in Ukraine are the main targets of Russian bombing.
Vital infrastructure
There is a clear reason for the changed tactics of the Russians: in the first two months of the war, the railways became the most important element of Ukraine’s logistics infrastructure. The country’s railway network is 22,000 kilometers long. With more than 230,000 employees, Ukrzaliznytsia was one of the largest employers in the country before the war.
Ten years ago – just in time for the European Football Championship in 2012 – Ukraine invested 700 million euros in modernizing its railway infrastructure and trains, so that Ukrainian railways are in relatively good condition today.
Ukraine also has a wide road network, but only parts of the highways near major cities are multi-lane. Most of the road arteries are in extremely poor condition and are not suitable for heavy loads.
That is why the railways, meanwhile, have become a real symbol of Ukrainian resistance: they are supplying weapons and aids to the country’s eastern regions, and evacuating millions of Ukrainians fleeing hostilities.
Recently, the railways have been playing an increasingly important role in Ukrainian exports. Before the start of the war, more than half of the goods exported from Ukraine passed through the port of Odessa, but after Russia imposed a blockade there, Ukrainian exports of wheat, coal, steel and chemicals is transported by train to the western border of Ukraine.
Surprisingly reliable
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine’s railway network has proved to be very secure and reliable. It is very branched and even if parts of it are bombed, it is easy to find detours.
“In some cases, we even manage to repair damaged sections in a matter of hours,” Alexander Kamishin, head of passenger transport, told CNN. But day by day, the task becomes more and more difficult: new routes have to be chosen that bypass particularly dangerous areas, schedules are often changed at the last minute, and changes are announced on social media. On top of that, Russian missile strikes are becoming more frequent.
Main railway routes in Ukraine. In red: the presence of the Russian army
From the very beginning of the war, fierce battles were fought for control of the important Ukrainian railway network. The Russians quickly tried to take control of some of Ukrzaliznytsia’s larger distribution centers, such as those in Kharkov and Kyiv, but failed amid fierce Ukrainian resistance. At the same time, units of the Ukrainian army and Belarusian railways managed to sever ties with Russia and Belarus. It was along these lines that the transfer of large Russian military units had to take place.
The Russian army is dependent on railway infrastructure
Logistically, the Russian army has always been very dependent on the railway network. In the vast territory of Russia there are many difficult terrains – steppes, permafrost, swampy areas. That is why the motorized military units rely mainly on the railway – both for movement and for the supply of food and fuel.
Emily Ferris, an expert on Russia at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, said in an article in the journal Foreign Policy that Russia’s armed forces simply did not have enough supplies and fuel to hold or take over new Ukrainian territories where they are remote from a functioning railway infrastructure.
The railway bridge near Raigorodok destroyed by the Russian army
Now, however, Russia is rethinking its military goals and concentrating on capturing territories in eastern and southern Ukraine. But there, as in Kharkov, the Russians do not fully control key railway centers, and some of them are almost completely destroyed by hostilities, Ferris said. However, this is crucial for the progress of Russian troops and explains why they fail to penetrate deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Even the outcome of the war depends on the railway?
Failing to take full control of Ukraine, Russian troops are now trying to destroy Ukraine’s rail network – mostly to prevent the transfer of arms supplies from the West to the front line. The outcome of the war will largely depend on whether the Ukrainians will be able to maintain their railway infrastructure in good condition for a long time to come.
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