Russia has historically been a ‘railway empire’ that relies heavily on its railways to bind together vast lands of the biggest country in the world. The rail lines are the essential logistics routes for the entirety of Russian ground operations and war economy building upon the imperial and soviet legacy.
The Russian rail network has shown itself to be central to the Russian war effort. Due to its colossal size, the rail network has also proven vulnerable. Aware of this shortcoming, Russia has been investing considerable resources in mitigating it since 2014, which enabled the RZD to maintain and support the behemoth of rail logistics while bearing the brunt of Ukrainian strikes and western sanctions.
The war has demonstrated the critical importance of logistics in modern warfare beyond Ukraine, illustrating how the destruction or disruption of infrastructure can severely impact a nation’s military capabilities. As the war grinds on, Russia is desperately trying to take control of the Ukrainian railway hubs to upgrade the logistics of its forces. Ukraine, meanwhile, has been able to constrict Russian supply lines with its counteroffensives and increasingly capable strikes against military infrastructure.
Against the backdrop of the fast-changing frontline, it is hard to predict if rail logistics will ultimately prove to be the backbone of the Russian Army or its Achilles’ heel. The outcome of the war may lie as much in the hands of the railway troops and drone units behind the front lines as the ground forces on the battlefield.
