In accordance with railway transport documents and based on the mutual exchange of requests between the railway administrations of Belarus and Russia regarding the number of rolling stock units, their type, departure and arrival stations, and cargo codes, the procedure for delivering nuclear weapons and associated auxiliary equipment to Belarusian Railway stations has been determined.
In the first stage, limited to June 2023, three shipments are planned from Russian Railways stations to Prudok station (Vitebsk Division of the Belarusian Railway):
- from Potanino station (South Ural Railway) – 4 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes;
- from Lozhok station (West Siberian Railway) – 2 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes;
- from Cheboksary station (Gorky Railway) – 10 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes.
In the second stage, the delivery of nuclear weapons to Prudok station (Vitebsk Division of the Belarusian Railway) is also planned for November 2023, with three shipments from Russian Railways stations:
- from Potanino station (South Ural Railway) – 4 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes;
- from Lozhok station (West Siberian Railway) – 2 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes;
- from Cheboksary station (Gorky Railway) – 10 boxcars of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Other Ammunition for Military Purposes.
In these cases, Prudok station serves as the delivery point for nuclear weapons in Belarus, from where they will be further redistributed to storage sites within special military units depending on their type.
In addition to being the initial delivery point and subsequent redistribution hub for nuclear munitions, Prudok station and military unit 94017 (2631st Aviation Base for Missile Armament and Ammunition) also function as a training base for unloading/loading, security, and ongoing maintenance. These facilities were previously used by military personnel, in conjunction with railway workers, to practice special skills when working with specialized equipment. Simultaneously, the preparation of secret railway communication points (LAZ) was carried out, one of which is located under the building of a children's health camp in Lyottsy (Vitebsk Division of the Belarusian Railway).
Additionally, during October – November 2023, three more shipments are planned from Russian Railways stations to Belarusian Railway stations, which will involve the delivery of auxiliary and protective equipment necessary for storing nuclear munitions and conducting their maintenance and preventive servicing:
- from Pravdinsk station (Gorky Railway) to Luninets station (Baranovichi Division of the Belarusian Railway) – 3 general-purpose flatcars of special rolling stock, 1 boxcar of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Equipment, Machinery;
- from Vozhoy station (Gorky Railway) to Baranovichi-Central station (Baranovichi Division of the Belarusian Railway) – 9 general-purpose flatcars of special rolling stock, 1 boxcar of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Equipment, Machinery;
- from Penza station (Kuybyshev Railway) to Baranovichi-Central station (Baranovichi Division of the Belarusian Railway) – 1 general-purpose flatcar of special rolling stock, 1 escort railcar, cargo: Equipment, Machinery.
Railcars destined for Baranovichi-Central station will then be shunted to Baranovichi-Polesskie station for further redeployment to the territory of the 61st Fighter Air Base of the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus, military unit 54804.
All specified groups of railcars travel with armed escort and service personnel, for which corresponding railcars are included in each shipment.
Furthermore, since mid-May 2023, shipments of both loaded and empty rolling stock have been observed from Belarusian Railway stations to Kapustin Yar station (Volga Railway) addressed to military unit 15644 (4th State Red Banner Order of the Red Star Central Inter-service Proving Ground (4th CIP)), Znamensk-3, Astrakhan region, Russian Federation:
- 2023-05-15 from Stolbtsy station – 15 loaded railcars (2 passenger railcars for transporting 29 personnel, 10 long flatcars with loaded engineering equipment, 3 boxcars with other cargo). Sender: Military Unit 30151, Fanipol, where the 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Operational-Tactical Command of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces is located;
- 2023-05-15 from Orsha-Vostochnaya station – 37 empty railcars (8 gondola cars, 1 boxcar, 28 long flatcars intended for loading at the destination station). Sender: Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus (UVOSO – Military Transportation Directorate);
- 2023-05-17 from Orsha-Vostochnaya station – 50 long flatcars intended for loading at the destination station. Sender: Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus (UVOSO – Military Transportation Directorate).
From the aforementioned shipments of empty railcars, air and missile defence systems S-400 were delivered back to Kolosovo station (Baranovichi Division of the Belarusian Railway) from Kapustin Yar station (Volga Railway) by these railcars (15 units of rolling stock). The further deployment location is the 25th RAV Arsenal, military unit 25819. The remaining empty railcars are awaiting further loading and shipment to Belarus.
All these criminal transports, as well as many other military transports, are carried out with the direct assistance of the state enterprise “BTLC” of Belarusian Railway – payments for transports to Russian Railways (CFTO*) are made through this organization under agreement No. UVO-3030 dated 2012-01-01.
The specified shipments of personnel, equipment, and empty rolling stock to Kapustin Yar station are aimed at preparing and training personnel of Belarusian military units to work with nuclear weapons, preparing the corresponding equipment, and further moving the necessary equipment to military units in Belarus planned for the deployment of this type of weapon.
* CFTO – Corporate Transport Services Centre, a branch of Russian Railways, one of whose main functions is to conduct mutual settlements with clients, including freight forwarders, carriers, and railways of other countries
