"Alternative to the Crimean Bridge": whether the new railway through Mariupol will affect the counter -offensive of the Armed Forces - the media

The Russian authorities will attach a new railway branch from Taganrog to the old leading to Mariupol. This path will not reach the units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which are fighting under Tokmak and Melitopol. As of September 28, 2023, the fighters of the Defense Forces managed to break through the fortifications of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation west of Verbov village in Zaporizhzhia region.

According to the explanations of analysts of the Institute of War, the counter -offensive of Ukraine continues on this section of the front: the enemy is knocked out of trenches and fixed in new positions. Meanwhile, the Russian authorities began to build a new railway branch in the south. The media analyzed whether the new railway was an alternative to the Crimean bridge. This is stated in the article on the Defense Express portal.

The article mentions the railway track, which is urgently built by the occupiers to connect with the existing route "Mariupol-Azlanov-Kalchyk-Volnovakha". On September 27, the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko announced. According to him, they will build it quite quickly, because there is only one serious obstacle on the way: the River Kalmius in the area of ​​the village of Granitny. Andryushchenko posted a conditional map of a new railway route.

It must begin somewhere in the middle of the railway, which connects Mariupol and Volnovakh. Then goes through the village of Granitne and the River Kalmius and stretches further to the east in the direction of Kuznetsovo-Mikhailivka, Grigorivka and further to the territory of the Russian Federation-to Taganrog and Rostov-on-Don. According to indicative estimates, Russians need to build about 50 km of new railways.

In doing so, they have a single obstacle - the Kalmius River, which in different places has a width of 1. 5 to 80 m, indicates the author of the portal. Russian military railways are generally capable of erecting a new railway: the Russian Federation has the corresponding employees of about 40 thousand people. So, Russia will indeed get new opportunities for rapid supply of shells and equipment to the front line.

However, there are doubts that this will seriously affect the fighting in the Tokmak area that are happening now. But the danger will appear during the future offensive actions of the Armed Forces, the article is said. The Ukrainian forces continue to break the line of defense of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation near Tokmak, confident military experts.

Soon under the direct fire control of the Armed Forces will be an existing railway branch, which goes from the Volnovakha through the branch in the direction of Tokmak and further - to Melitopol. If the Russian authorities decided to build railways, in parallel, it could really damage the counter -offensive. As a result, Ukrainian artillery would not reach a new logistics line and the Russian Federation would receive a land alternative to the Crimean bridge.

Thus, the author, a new railway that will go from Taganrog to Mariupol, does not pose a threat to the Armed Forces counter -offensive in the fall of 2023, since it does not become an alternative way of supplying the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under Tokmak and Melitopol. However, this railway will be problematic, but later. In particular, its benefits for the Armed Forces will be manifested when the Armed Forces will be released by the Azov region and will be approached by Mariupol.

In this case, the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces on the Azov Sea will have a connection with the Russian Federation and receive a weapon to counteract the onset of defense forces. It should be noted that representatives of the Ukrainian command have not commented on the construction of the Russians of the new railway. The Armed Forces General Staff of the Armed Forces stated that there are success in the Melitopol direction: "continue the offensive operation".