A video recently surfaced on social networks showing russian T-54 tanks being transported to the front lines after recovery from storage and restoration. The footage, reportedly shot at a railway junction in the Moscow region, displays at least a dozen T-54s on trailers, though the exact number is hard to ascertain due to the video's low quality.
Still, if we take a closer look, we'll notice a few important details shedding light on the delivery of these rare tanks to the frontline, and the organizational measures accompanying this process.
Read more: Army of russia Expects to Receive 1,500 Tanks, 3,000 IFVs in 2024–2025, and Scale Up BMP-3 Production
Russian train loaded with T-54 tanks removed from storage in Moscow region, heading to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/0oZgsYa50A— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 17, 2024
First of all, these T-54s appear to be in their basic configuration, freshly painted but without traditional extra upgrades that might typically be carried out at repair plants during the restoration activities. This suggests that the russians prioritized speed over quality when they put the tanks through the steps "storage base — repair plant — combat zone," with potential upgrades being added later near the front lines using improvised materials.
This aligns with recent battle footage showing a T-54 with explosive reactive armor tiles and a makeshift machine gun nest on the turret, likely welded by russian forces in the field.
Interestingly, the T-54 convoy in the video is not moving but remains stationary at a railway junction in the Moscow region, the heart of the railway system in the russian federation. Alongside main battle tanks, civilian hopper cars for bulk cargo are part of the same freight train.
This indicates that military convoys in russia do not necessarily have priority over other scheduled trains. But perhaps, the russians simply don't see any merit in giving such priority in the first place, as according to safety norms, the speed of movement of a cargo convoy, even with a priority pass, cannot exceed 400 kilometers per day.
Additionally, the video features a group of teenagers in military uniforms, presumably members of Putin's Yunarmiya (Young Army Cadets) movement. They appear to be at the railway station for propaganda purposes, to observe the T-54 convoy that will be used in battles against Ukrainian forces.
However, the offscreen conversations show the real effect of this "educational" event: the teenagers are more interested in each other's mobile phones than in the tanks.
Read more: The russians Started Putting Kontakt-1 ERA on Their Stalin Era T-54 Tanks, But It Doesn't Help Much
