Occupiers launched the first train from Mariupol (video)

Russian occupiers have started operating a railway route in the occupied part of Donetsk Region by sending the first train from Mariupol to Volnovakha.

The train left the port of Mariupol, and the first in the train was a platform to prevent the possible detonation of the diesel locomotive by local guerrilla groups.

This was reported by the TG-channel of Mariupol city council.

This railway line connecting Mariupol, Volnovakha and Donetsk is being constructed to include direct connections to the Russian cities of Taganrog and Rostov-on-Don. This measure is intended to create an alternative to transport via the Kerch Bridge and facilitate the delivery of military cargo.

The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, said that the occupation authorities were seeking to turn Mariupol into a key logistical centre of military operations. The transfer of military aid via Mariupol to the front line is recorded on a daily basis. The presence of this railway infrastructure significantly strengthens the occupiers' ability to strengthen the frontline and support their military needs in the Donetsk direction.

Dmytro Pletenchuk, head of the Centre for Strategic Communications, stressed that the railway route through Mariupol was within the reach of the Ukrainian armed forces, taking into account the assistance that the AFU should receive from its partners.