Russian armoured train Yenisei
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| Yenisei | |
|---|---|
| Type | Armoured train |
| Place of origin | Ukraine Russia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2022–Present |
| Used by | |
| Wars | Russo-Ukrainian war |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ukrainian Railways |
| Manufacturer | Ukrainian Railways |
| No. built | 6+ |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 131 m (429.7 ft) |
| Width | 1,435mm gauge [3] |
| Passengers | 1,000 (claimed) |
| Armor | 20mm rolled steel [4] Sandbags with wooden panels[5] Mine-resistant ballast materials[5] |
Main armament | 1x 30 mm autocannon 2A42 (BMP-2) |
Secondary armament | 1x ZU-23-2 cannon Few dozen Machine Gun slots |
| Engine | 2x ChME3-type locomotive |
The Russian armoured train Yenisei is an armoured train currently in use by Russia in Russo-Ukrainian war. According to Ukrainian sources, Yenisei was constructed out of parts stolen from Ukrainian Railways in the Kharkiv region.[6] It is named after the Yenisey river.
The train is protected by armoured plates of unknown thickness and is designed to transport materials, to restore and demine tracks that are damaged, and for engineering reconnaissance.[7] Its official tasks include technical reconnaissance, material transportation, demining of railway networks, and escorting logistical trains to the front.[2] However, the train also has a ZU-23-2 and a mounted BMP-2,[6] and thus is also suspected of being prepared for combat operations. Russian sources dispute Yenisei's role as a combat vehicle, claiming rather that the train is used for humanitarian purposes such as the delivery of water, medicines and food for civilians in Donbas, and evacuating over a thousand people from the combat zones.[8]
The train is currently made up of at least two ChME3-type locomotives plus eight wagons (two of which are platforms from the BMP-2 and ZU-23-2).[9][10] On a whole, Yenisei is made up of two empty platform wagons for cargo, logistical and construction purposes at the front and end of the train, a platform wagon mounting the BMP-2 as the 'head', followed by an anti-air wagon mounting the ZU-23-2 gun alongside an enclosed cabin with six machine-gun slits, the first ChME3-type locomotive, a machine gun wagon with more gun slits, a goods wagon, another machine-gun wagon and the second ChME3-type locomotive.[11][12] In addition to the above weapons, Yenisei also ferries a group in charge of maintaining and firing a number of 82-BM-37 mortars both either on or outside of the train.[13] The core structure includes an armored box made from durable steel sheets, which functions as a weapons compartment and command center, with firing openings present on the sides for crew-served personal firearms.[2] The train also features an electronic warfare platform utilizing the Kamysh jamming system, which is designed to disrupt radio-controlled explosive devices within a 20-meter radius.[2] In terms of length, each wagon is made from the standard United Wagon Company Sgmmns 40’ flat car, which is 40 feet long.[3] Combined, Yenisei is a 131 meters long.
Like Volga, this is not the first armoured train used in the Russo-Ukrainian War, as a few other armoured trains were recorded transporting logistical and military goods through Crimea in March 2022.[14][15]