"question attacking Russian railroads" Topic

ukraine has been hitting the rail line on the kerch bridge .the russian partisans are using drones on moscow .whats happening with the railways
why are they not blowing rail bridges on the approaches to moscow or if guarded then destroying/disabling rail tracks further out in country fields
or i consider a soft kill the signals system ,should cause some confusion/delays/annoyance and inconvenience for the russian commuter
finally couple of guys with m82 barret anti material rifles
firing into the locomotive engine block and fuel tanks as they are travelling along the track should make a bit of a problem for the russians .or am i missing something with the above

If you need a primer on how to attack railroads, read Lawrence of Arabia… ;-)

Damaged rail lines are easy enough to divert and be repaired within 24 hours. It's the transport hubs and maintenance centres that would cause more disruption. But then civilian casualties are almost guaranteed. That would be condemned as a war crime and upset the locals.

Ukraine has been hitting railroads in the occupied territories or in areas in Russia close to Ukraine.

They have also been hitting railroad bridges leading north out of Crimea.

Ukraine is mainly waging a PR war in the Russian rear. She needs high-profile actions – the murders of famous journalists, the explosion of the Crimean Bridge, an attack on the Kremlin, and the like.
However, attempts to attack Russian infrastructure also occur, but rather sluggishly. There were several burnt switchboard boxes on the railway, and a power line support near St. Petersburg was blown up. Moreover, infrastructure actions are not carried out by professionals, but either by citizens of Russia and Ukraine recruited for money, or by ideological opponents of the "Putin regime." Their actions do not cause much damage, and such attempts usually end in prison for the saboteurs.
In areas adjacent to the front line, the railways and trains are guarded by "armored trains" of the railway troops, which have everything necessary for defense, as well as for quickly eliminating damage on the communication routes.

Bandolier, the Ukrainian army regularly carries out artillery strikes on cities in the rebellious regions and Russian border cities. Naturally, civilians die as a result of such attacks. This never bothered anyone for ten years, why should it suddenly bother anyone now? This is the last reason that will worry Ukraine and the West.

Russian "armored trains":

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The railway is also patrolled by helicopters and drones.

Cuprum2,
I like the "armored train" videos.
I did wonder about the tank. The ramps are at the end of the flat car, so rail cars have to be disconnected, and the tank can't just charge after attackers like the Pinkertons opening the side door of the boxcar and charging out of the side to go after Butch Cassidy, Sundance and their gang.

Can the tank fire from the rail car? Is it unloaded to provide covering fire for the rail repair personnel?

The tank also seemed to have relatively narrow treads, at least compared to T-34s. Is that just an optical illusion, or do modern tanks have narrower treads than WWII tanks?

Grelber

Since the First World War, loaded platforms have been installed in front and behind an armed train, in case the train is blown up by a mine. Typically, these platforms are loaded with materials for repairing the railway track. In the event of a train explosion, the damage will be minimal.
An infantry fighting vehicle is installed on the railway platform. It is much lighter than a tank and therefore quite passable even with such tracks. It only has bulletproof armor. But it can hide soldiers who can fire from personal weapons through the side loopholes.
The infantry fighting vehicle can fire directly from the platform, but it does not require much effort for it to leave the train to act independently.

In the general view of the "armored train" we can see two "mine-proof" cargo platforms, two platforms with infantry fighting vehicles, two combat platforms with ZSU-23 and machine gun emplacements, two diesel locomotives, residential and freight cars.

Armored trains. Very Cool. Good to see the Russians using 1930s technology so effectively.

Judging by the fact that no major sabotage has yet been organized on Russian railways, this works great.
By the way, similar armored trains of the railway troops worked just as effectively in Chechnya twenty years ago.

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If you need a primer on how to attack railroads, read Lawrence of Arabia…

Indeed !