Another 26 Wagons Carrying Russian Nuclear Weapons Secretly Imported Into Belarus
- 10.11.2023, 23:12
Belarusian railway workers exposed the scheme.
The Community of Belarusian Railway Workers has revealed new facts about the import of components of Russian tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) and military cargo into Belarus.
The authorities, although not for long, managed to hide a certain number of such shipments that took place in September 2023.
In accordance with the initial Russia-Belarus plans, the import of tactical nuclear weapons components by rail was to be carried out in two stages: in June 2023 and in November 2023.
During these stages, a total of 32 wagons with tactical nuclear weapons components and their support were expected to be delivered. But in addition to this, 18 more different special-purpose and escort cars were planned and delivered to Belarus.
There were other transportations of tactical nuclear weapons components. New data relate to the period from September 15 to 24, 2023, during which a total of 26 cars were transported from the Cheboksary (Gorkovskaya Railway) and Potanino (South Ural Railway) Russian Railways stations to Belarus, both loaded directly with tactical nuclear weapons components and intended for transportation of personnel, escort and cover cars. The destination station of the wagons is Prudok (Vitsebsk branch of the Belarusian Railways — railway section #6).
The 2631st aviation base for storing missile weapons and ammunition — military unit 94017 — is located near the Prudok station.
Delivery was carried out through the interstate junction point Zaolsha with further passage through the Vitsebsk station to the Prudok station. Currently, the Zaolsha interstate junction point is a lightly loaded one — only about two couples of trains per day. That’s why they apparently chose a less than standard route, so as not to attract attention.
Travel time from Zaolsha station to the Vitsebsk station is about 1:10, from the Vitsebsk station to the Prudok station — 1:10. Thus, taking into account the need to change locomotive crews at the Vitsebsk station, the total travel time for carriages with tactical nuclear weapons components across the territory of Belarus was about 3.5 hours.
Based on information about the dispatch of wagons and their arrival at the Belarusian Railways, it follows that the indicated number of rolling stock units was delivered in two groups:
First group — departure on September 15 — 16 wagons (10 loaded, 6 empty) from Cheboksary station, arrival on September 22;
The second group — departure on September 18 — 10 wagons (4 loaded, 6 empty) from Potanino station, arrival on September 24.
The cargo belongs to the class “Explosives”, and is listed as “Other ammunition for military purposes” and “Ammunition other than those specified above.”
Of particular interest was the deeply secret organizational and financial scheme of these transportations. Given that the forwarders of the components of tactical nuclear weapons via Russian Railways and Belarusian Railways are JSC RZD Logistics and BTLC, respectively, it seems that the main beneficiary (organizer, customer) of these transportations is JLLC “TRANSRAIL - BC”.
The JLLC “TRANSRAIL - BC” is a joint Belarusian-Swiss limited liability company (hereinafter — TRANSRAIL-BC), which appeared in Belarus in 1994. And since then it has been headed by the permanent director and representative of the main Russian founder of the Joint Stock Company Transrail Holding (Transrail Holding A.G., created by the Ministry of Railways of the USSR in 1989), Mrs. Kim Suk Cha.
The second founder is the Belarusian Railways with a share, according to unconfirmed data, of up to 25%. It is noteworthy that on behalf of the Belarusian Railways, in different years the representatives in TRANSRAIL-BC were: the head of the cargo work and foreign economic activity (M) service (M) E. Stankevich, the first deputy head of the Belarusian Railways U. Mikhailyuk, and now again the head of the M service — S. Prystauka.
It is not yet known who stands and manages the financial flows during these transportations of military cargo (TNW) involving essentially exclusively state-owned companies (RZD, RZD Logistics, Belarusian Railways, BTLC).
Another interesting thing is hidden at the beginning of the activities of the TRANSRAIL-BC company. This company, the only one not included in the structure of the Belarusian Railways, was completely illegally granted the right (with the corresponding telegraph index) to give telegraph orders for forwarded cargo to other legal entities and divisions of the Belarusian Railways (stations, sections, etc.). At that time and for many years to come, even the 100% owned Belintertrans TEP (which was transformed into the Republican Transport Forwarding Unitary Enterprise BELINTERTRANS — Transport and Logistics Center of the Belarusian Railway (BTLC) much later, in 2009) did not have such a right.
How deep the manifestations of corruption are among the leaders of the Belarusian Railways with TRANSRAIL-BC can only be guessed, since a legally third-party organization is given the right to give legally significant telegraph orders that have a direct impact on the transportation of goods, the legal rights to which only the sender, the recipient and the carrier (Belarusian Railways) have!!! This right was quietly and informally revoked only after 15 years (or so) and only after a few more years was given, as they like to say, the official freight forwarder of the Belarusian Railways — BTLC.
But, apparently, TRANSRAIL-BC successfully performs its corruption functions. At least in front of the Russian masters. There may be no “breakthroughs” (apparently they don’t want to attract attention), but the business of this company has grown since 2019: among all freight forwarders of the Belarusian Railways (in the “closed” rating) its share has increased from 2 to 3% (the volume of freight payments for forwarded cargo in 2022 amounted to about 15 million US dollars).
On the sly, under the cover of forwarders from Russian Railways and Belarusian Railways (JSC “RZD Logistics” and BTLC), TRANSRAIL-BC performs the function of a hidden organizer and financial “layer” for the supply of not only tactical nuclear weapons, but also weapons and ammunition and other military cargo.