An armored train has appeared in Ukraine. This type of rail vehicle was of great importance at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in Russia during its civil war. The Russian military train, with steel armor and equipped with anti-aircraft guns, entered occupied Ukraine allegedly on a humanitarian mission. The use of armored trains dates back more than 100 years, to their use in the Boer War in Africa.
The train was first seen on February 7 in Melitopol, Ukraine, which is currently under Russian control. The train, according to the medium Zvezda News of the Russian army, is evacuating foreign citizens. According to Western media, this claim should be taken with a grain of salt as it comes from the Russian authorities themselves.
Russia currently has four armored trains: Baikal, Amur, Terek and Don. It retired the trains after the conclusion of the Second Chechen War in the early 2000s, but returned them to service in 2015. According to unconfirmed reports, the train seen in occupied Ukraine is a combination of Baikal and Amur.