Megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - April 22-24

The Belarusian railway saboteurs who helped thwart Russia’s attack on Kyiv (Washington Post)

Starting in the earliest days of the invasion in February, a clandestine network of railway workers, hackers and dissident security forces went into action to disable or disrupt the railway links connecting Russia to Ukraine through Belarus, wreaking havoc on Russian supply lines.

The attacks have drawn little attention outside Belarus amid the drama of the Russian onslaught and the bloody aftermath of Russia’s humiliating retreat. Fierce Ukrainian resistance and tactical errors by an ill-prepared Russian force were likely enough to thwart Russia’s plans, analysts say.

But the Belarus railway saboteurs can at least claim a role in fueling the logistical chaos that quickly engulfed the Russians, leaving troops stranded on the front lines without food, fuel and ammunition within days of the invasion.

Alexander Kamyshin, head of Ukrainian railways, expressed Ukraine’s gratitude to the Belarusian saboteurs. “They are brave and honest people who have helped us,” he said.

The attacks were simple but effective, targeting the signal control cabinets essential to the functioning of the railways, members of the activist network said. For days on end, the movement of trains was paralyzed, forcing the Russians to attempt to resupply their troops by road and contributing to the snarl-up that stalled the infamous 40-mile military convoy north of Kyiv.

How much of the chaos can be attributed to the sabotage and how much to poor logistical planning by the Russians is hard to tell [...]

[...]

The saboteurs drew inspiration from an earlier episode in Belarusian history, during World War II, when Belarusians opposed to the Nazi occupation blew up railway lines and train stations to disrupt German supply lines. The Rail War, as it is known, is venerated as a moment of triumph for Belarus, taught in schools as the most successful of the tactics deployed by resistance fighters that eased the way for Soviet troops to drive the Germans out.

[...]

The Cyber Partisans launched the first attack, hacking into the railway’s computer network in the days leading up to the invasion and snarling rail traffic before Russian troops had even crossed the border. Infiltrating the railway network’s computers was relatively easy, said Yuliana Shemetovets, a spokesperson for the group, which is based in New York, because the railway company is still using Windows XP, an outdated version of the software that contains many vulnerabilities.

[...]

The Belarusian authorities have since launched an intense effort to prevent attacks and hunt down the saboteurs. [...]

[...]

Now, a new phase in the rail war may be underway. In recent days the railway activists have posted on Telegram photographs of damage to signaling cabinets along Russian railway lines being used to transport troops into eastern Ukraine. The attacks can’t be independently confirmed, but Voitekhovich claimed members of his railway network are involved. “There are open borders between Belarus and Russia,” he said.

(I posted an earlier article but it's nice to see something more in-depth.)

Russia threatens Moldova after Ukraine in dramatic expansion of Putin’s war objectives
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-threatens-moldova-after-ukraine-in-dramatic-expansion-of-putin-s-war-objectives/ar-AAWuBdj

In the annual meeting of the Union of Defense Industries of the Sverdlovsk Region on Friday, Mr Minnekayev said: “One of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over the Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will provide a land corridor to the Crimea, as well as influence the vital objects of the Ukrainian economy.”

“Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population.”

…

Mr Putin’s threat to expand his war in Ukraine comes a day after Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed a law banning the ribbon of St. George, a black and orange military symbol of Russian patriotism which has come to symbolise aggression against Ukraine, as well as the signs Z and V used by Russian armed forces to mark their vehicles.

Germany can't send ammunition it has previously received from the swiss, because the swiss say no. Can't remember where I've heard something similar before......

Anyway, that's apparently the ammo that Marder IFVs use.

Edit: Actually, the ammunition for the Rheinmetall Marder was made by a Rheinmetall subsidiary(Rheinmetall Waffe und Munition) in Switzerland. I'm honestly quite disappointed that such an entanglement leads to Swiss veto authority over German arms.