Ukrainian soldiers rob trains - DPR
Donetsk, November 19 (PolitNavigator, Mikael Chagalyan) – A number of Ukrainian military units are engaged in robbery in the front-line zone, taking on the “functions” of organized criminal groups, says DPR Transport Minister Semyon Kuzmenko. He stated this during an interview with PolitNavigator.
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PolitNavigator: Are cargo deliveries to Ukraine, including by rail, taking place? Are relations with the Ukrainian side smooth?
Semyon Kuzmenko: There are serious complications. While some order is more or less maintained in Ukrainian territory far from the front, problems are already beginning to arise near the front.
Let's put it this way: there are a number of Ukrainian military units that operate in the front-line zone virtually as uncontrolled organized crime groups. Even local administrations located in the territories controlled by the Ukrainian army do not know what to do with them in the event of violations by these armed people.
It got to the point that these units began outright “commercial” activities, essentially engaging in robbery.
According to our Ministry of Transport, the greatest damage is caused by them to the property and cargo of the railway, especially at the Debaltsevo junction. Debaltsevo-Sortirovochnaya is a very large hub, and today more than 4.000 wagons with cargo are stuck at it. These are cargoes of the most diverse types and purposes, and they have their own owner, and, in most cases, these are private entrepreneurs. And these paramilitary structures actually rob freight trains with impunity, selling these cargoes along the way.
This happens with coal coming from our side; wagons with other cargo are opened. As soon as representatives of these military structures receive information about the nature of the cargo being transported, the cars are often simply opened.
For example, near the Nikitovka station, 1200 meters of rails were stolen. There was a confirmed theft of 14 wagons of coal near Debaltsevo. Also, contact networks and copper wires disappear.
We are convinced that thefts are being carried out on a much larger scale, but we cannot assess the damage in full, because our employees are simply not allowed into these territories by the Ukrainian side. One thing is certain: the damage caused by the actions of such virtually illegal paramilitary groups causes colossal harm to our economy.
As PolitNavigator reported, the DPR Ministry of Transport previously stated that they were ready to supply coal to Crimea, but could not, since Russia is bound by international obligations, including transport ones.
Ukrainian soldiers rob trains, says DPR