"A legitimate target for AFU": DeepState assesses the pace of the construction of Russian railroad from Mariupol to Crimea

Russian invaders continue to build a railroad line that should provide an alternative connection between Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea. It will pass through the occupied territories of mainland Ukraine at a distance of about 60 km from the line of contact.

The total length of the alternative railroad is 60 km, and it should connect Rostov-on-Don with the captured Mariupol, and from there with the Crimean peninsula. DeepState analyzed the progress of the construction.

Russian invaders are actively building a railway line of alternative communication between Russia and the temporarily occupied Mariupol.

"This branch allows the occupiers to create a railway connection Volnovakha-Mariupol-Donetsk, and also provides a connection Taganrog-Rostov-Mariupol at a distance of 60 km from the LBZ. The total length of the branch is 60 kilometers," DeepState said.

The intentions of the invaders to build a new railroad line became known in 2023. The first signs of the construction of a railroad between Malovodne and Burne in the Donetsk region appeared in August: the occupiers began to build an embankment for the railroad near the village of Burne. They crashed into the existing railroad that connects the PSC "Komsomolske Flux" in Kalmius with the Donetsk agglomeration and passes through Ilovaisk.

In September, the preparation of the embankment was already recorded in Malovodne. There, Russians cut into the existing railroad between Mariupol and Volnovakha. By the way, the occupiers began assembling a giant railway structure called the "tsar train" near Volnovakha in summer: to impede the advance of the Defense Forces, the invaders linked together about 2,100 railroad cars of various types stolen from the occupied territories. This structure stretches continuously from the railway station in Olenivka to Volnovakha, its length being about 30 kilometers.

After the tsar train appeared, the line from Volnovakha to Olenivka became a single-track line.

October 2023 marked the beginning of the construction of a bridge over the Kalmius River, and in November the occupiers connected both ends of the construction.

In February 2024, the occupiers completed the crossing of the Ternova gully and completed the construction of the embankment.

"As of now, the occupiers have about 13 km of tracks left to go, including a tie-in to existing tracks in the village of Malovodne. A fragment of the branch east of the Kalmius River is being operated at least by construction workers (it is marked in yellow on the map - Ed.)... The enemy's transport infrastructure, in particular the bridge and the crossing, which will be used by the occupiers to transport weapons and military equipment, is a legitimate target for the Defense Forces," DeepState noted.

Instead, the construction of the branches that will become part of the "land railroad to Crimea" and should run along the Azov Sea coast is currently "at the mere beginning": the occupiers have now graded the path where the tracks are planned to be laid. The situation, DeepState added, is being closely monitored.

Earlier, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said that the construction of the railway by the occupiers on Ukrainian land is "almost complete. " If put into operation, it could become a serious problem for Ukraine. On the other hand, the head of military intelligence emphasized, Ukraine has experience in destroying such facilities as the Crimean Bridge, so it will be able to cope with the railroad.

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