The armored train was an important weapon in the Russian Revolution and the ensuing civil war. Now, it looks as if the Russian government may bring a few out of retirement to fight insurgents in the restless north Caucasus.
While the war in Chechnya may be officially over, attacks on the railway system in neighboring Dagestan have become a major problem. Andrew McGregor of Eurasia Daily Monitor documents over half a dozen recent attacks by militants, who have targeted railways and other key infrastructure. And last year, terrorists struck the Nevsky Express, a luxury train on the Moscow-St. Petersburg line.
A recent article in Russia's Nezavisimoye voennoye obozrenie (Russian only, sorry) quotes Lt. Gen. Sergei Klimets, commander of Russia's railway forces, as saying that the special trains were on standby in Russia's Stavropol region, should they be needed. "The situation is very tense and requires additional measures to ensure the safety of steel highways of the north Caucasus," the general reportedly said. "So if we get orders to move out, they will be implemented in full."
It's an interesting development, with some pretty rich history behind it. The website of Russia's ministry of defense has a good photo gallery of railway troops in action in Chechnya (1995-1996) and in Abkhazia (in 2008). And if you've never seen the cheesy epic Reds, spare yourself three hours and watch the best nine minutes on YouTube: The climactic action scene in which the armored train carrying Warren Beatty gets ambushed by the Whites.
The history of the armored train isn't limited to Russia. Here's the link to a November 1899 article from the New York Times archive detailing an attack by Boer guerrillas on a British armored train during the Boer War. The train, the report states "was derailed yesterday by a force of the enemy who were in ambush, and it is estimated the British loss was 100 to 150 in killed, wounded, and missing. Among the latter are Capt. Haldane and Lieut. Winston Churchill, son of Lady Randolph Churchill. Both, it is believed, are prisoners."
[PHOTO: Russian Ministry of Defense]
