Russia is constructing a new railway line to Mariupol, the British Defence Intelligence has said. Russia uses its rail networks to move ammunition, armour, fuel and personnel into Ukraine, therefore rail logistics continues to be a vital component in sustaining Russia's invasion.
The rail network in occupied Ukraine remains largely viable but vulnerable to sporadic interdiction by Ukrainian artillery, air launched missiles and sabotage.
"Russia almost certainly continues to maintain and improve its rail lines of communication in Ukraine and is constructing a new railway line to Mariupol which will reduce travel times for supplies to the Zaporizhzhya front," the agency said.
Russia is using civilian contractors and equipment to complete this project, likely calculating this will complicate targeting efforts and preserve military railway troop capabilities for urgent tasks elsewhere. The new line falls within the notional range of Ukrainian long-range precision strike systems.