MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - The Yenisei armored train is being used in the special military operation zone in Ukraine to ensure the security of passenger and freight traffic on railroads in Donbass, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The priorities of the Central Military District's armored train include daily inspections of railroad sections used by freight and passenger trains in the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics. Central Military District servicemen examine rail tracks to detect wear and tear and the possible activities of sabotage groups," the ministry said in a statement published on its website on Tuesday.
To expedite reconnaissance along the armored train's route, railway troops of the central group of forces were the first in the special military operation zone to begin launching drones while on the move, without stopping the train at transit stations, it said.
The Yenisei armored train is equipped with all types of small arms, anti-aircraft and tank machine guns, mortars, and a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, which is ready to descend the platform and join combat engagements, the ministry said.
Last year, the ministry said the Volga armored train, built by the Western Military District's railway forces, had been sent to the special military operation zone. The Russian military said at the time that the armored train was intended for engineering reconnaissance and for operations against airborne and ground targets.