Russians launch railway from Rostov to Mariupol - Andriushchenko
The russian occupiers have completed and launched a railway from Rostov to Mariupol of the Donetsk Region via Hranitne/Malovodne, which will have a greater capacity than the Kerch bridge.
Mariupol mayor's adviser Petro Andriushchenko announced this on his Telegram channel on Sunday, August 4.
According to him, the readiness of the railway is evidenced by the monitoring and recording of traffic along key stations from Wednesday, July 31.
Recorded:
- Aslanovo station - four mainline diesel locomotives in RZD (russian Railways) colors connected in two pairs with attached freight cars, which are filled and partially covered. The composition of the cargo and the route have not yet been established;
- Kalchik station - one main diesel locomotive in the colors of the russian Railways;
- Sartana station - seven passenger cars in the colors of the russian Railways with "Ekaterinburg" plates.
"All this, as well as certain details that I am not allowed to reveal due to the security of sources and insiders, point to a single fact. Silently and secretly without announcements and red tapes, the railway was launched. This can radically change the situation at the front due to the improvement of the logistics of the russians. And don't talk about an "alternative to the Crimea bridge". This is false. This is an independent autonomous branch, which currently has more capacity than the bridge," Andriushchenko emphasized.
The russian occupiers spent 13 months restoring it. Due to strikes by the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the winter, construction was slowed down for two months, and due to sabotage in the Kalchik quarry by the Mariupol Resistance - for another month.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in May, the russian occupiers launched the first train from the temporarily occupied Volnovakha to the port in Mariupol, Donetsk Region.
On February 26, Andriushchenko reported that russian occupiers had brought in equipment to build a railway from the russian federation to Mariupol by summer.
On January 7, Andriushchenko reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a half-built railway bridge that was supposed to connect the temporarily occupied Mariupol of the Donetsk Region with russia.