Such a conclusion can logically be drawn, based on the experience of conducting similar exercises “Echelon-2022” in Kazakhstan.
“In the Republic of Belarus, we plan to conduct joint and special exercises: “Interaction-2023” with tasks to resolve a crisis situation in the Eastern European region; an exercise with reconnaissance forces “Search-2023”; an exercise with logistics forces “Echelon-2023” and an exercise with a joint NBC protection and medical support formation “Barrier-2023”. – Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, said on February 14, 2023.
Apparently, the stories of “rail partisans” played a significant role and raised concerns about possible repetitions of such actions.
Of course, here everything is already on a large scale, and they plan to practice larger-scale scenarios of possible sabotage with the destruction of railway tracks and equipment fires. At the same time, forces of a fire train with a 150-tonne lifting crane on railway tracks are involved to promptly unload military equipment from railcars. The subsequent loading, after military equipment has traversed the destroyed section of the track under its own power, will likely be carried out using special devices – ramps (SRMA*).
We previously reported that training for similar “scenarios” even outside military exercises has recently become the norm at Belarusian Railway. This includes using SRMA, or simulating passenger car fires.
Undoubtedly, all these activities on the railway are accompanied by heightened safety measures and security.
*SRMA – a device for loading and unloading all types of equipment “under its own power” onto/from a flatcar at any location, including unprepared sites between stations.
