ENG:

As previously mentioned, the Railway Troops had a number of armored trains—or "special trains"—at their disposal during the Chechen wars. However, there were exceptions to this pattern; other units also acquired armored trains.

For instance, the armored trains *Zhelezny Kaput* ("Iron Kaput") and *Letuchy Gollandets* ("Flying Dutchman"—a restored and re-equipped version of *Zhelezny Kaput* following an ambush and mine blast in June 2000), as well as the *Kozma Minin* armored train belonging to the Russian Interior Ministry's Internal Troops, were operated by the "Yastreb" ("Hawk") OMON unit of the Volga-Vyatka Main Directorate of Internal Affairs.

*Zhelezny Kaput* and *Letuchy Gollandets* ran daily along the Khankala–Grozny route to supply troops and evacuate civilians, occasionally serving as a mobile hospital; meanwhile, the primary mission of the *Kozma Minin* was transporting Russian Interior Ministry personnel and small quantities of supplies.

This arrangement arose after militants shot down a Mi-26 helicopter near Khankala in August 2002—an incident that killed all but 11 of the 160 people on board—leading to a ban on military air transport. The train was based in Mozdok, and its crew consisted of OMON officers from the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs (rotating every three months).

From the start of the Second Chechen War, railway lines were subjected to constant attacks by militants.

Attacks most frequently occurred in sections where the tracks ran close to wooded areas. Militants would mine the railway track beforehand and set up an ambush nearby. As the armored train passed, a high-explosive charge would be detonated—often accompanied by anti-personnel mines and booby traps—specifically timed to disable the locomotive first.

However, even if the locomotive was destroyed, the armored train remained a formidable force; consequently, militants sought to inflict maximum casualties on the crew by firing at the railcars and repair personnel. A sabotage group would receive a payout of $100,000 for completely disabling the special train.

Substantial bounties were also placed on the heads of soldiers and officers serving in the railway troops.

Special tactics were developed to counter such attacks.

An armored draisine carrying combat engineers was sent ahead of the special train.

The armored train followed at a low speed (no more than 5 km/h), with a civilian or freight train trailing at a set distance behind it.

Operations were conducted exclusively during daylight hours. This tactic closely resembled the one developed by the French during the war in Indochina.

In February 2000, near Gudermes, militants succeeded in derailing half of the special train.

In March 2002, the *Baikal* train struck an improvised explosive device, resulting in the loss of two railcars.

In September of that same year, at the 2,150-kilometer mark, the *Baikal* armored train came under fire from a heavy machine gun and under-barrel grenade launchers.
Flatcars carrying a BMP-2, a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun, and a radio station were damaged, but there were no personnel casualties. In June 2004, a flatcar carrying anti-aircraft guns on the *Amur* train was blown up by an explosive device planted by militants on the Alpatovo–Ishcherskaya railway section.

Between 2004 and 2005 alone, over 30 acts of sabotage were carried out against railways in Chechnya; this included 16 instances where special trains came under fire from small arms and grenade launchers.

In total, more than 2,000 explosive devices were discovered and neutralized between 1999 and 2005.

In 2008, following the conclusion of the active phase of the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya, the number of special trains deployed in the region was reduced.

In January 2009, the *Amur*, *Terek*, and *Baikal* were withdrawn from the Chechen Republic and placed in long-term storage at a base in Georgiyevsk, Stavropol Krai.

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