Russians Turn to Museum Trains

A recent news report revealed that Russia is operating heavily armed armored trains. This is interesting, as I had thought such machines had long since become mere historical anecdotes.

At the beginning of the Finnish Civil War in 1918, the railway network in southern Finland and most of the railway workshops fell into the hands of the Reds. As a result, the revolutionaries began manufacturing armored trains and obtained practical knowledge from the Russians on how to use them.

The military usefulness of trains tied to railways turned out to be less significant than hoped, even though Bolshevik Russia sent skilled armored train operators who provided guidance and advice on their use. Nevertheless, they were not without importance, and the weapon system continued to be developed in Finland up until the Second World War.

Once the war began, however, it became clear that advances in air power had made armored trains highly vulnerable, rendering them practically obsolete by the 1940s. Consequently, as early as 1942, they were converted into anti-aircraft batteries defending key troop and material transports, unloading stations, and railway yards, by equipping them with anti-aircraft guns.

Apparently, this obsolescence has not been recognized in Russia, since armored trains are still in use there. Or perhaps the country’s military believes it controls the airspace so completely that these rail-bound “monster trains” can still operate effectively—at least to secure home lines far from the actual front.

There is, of course, another possibility: that the reappearance of armored trains in the Russian army merely reflects the growing difficulties it faces as losses in men and materiel increase, and as Ukrainians strike infrastructure targets ever deeper behind the front lines.

In this light, the situation of the army carrying out Putin’s “special operation” is not made any easier by the announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump that he will impose sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. Nor is the effectiveness of this measure likely to diminish as Russia’s icy, dark winter approaches—a season when people are more dependent than ever on a functioning energy supply.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Patria TRACKX: Next-Generation Vehicle for Emerging Challenges
Rediscovered Relics: The Story Behind Finland's WWII Weapon Caches
History of Finland XII: Bloody civil war

The Staring at Young Girls Revealed the Change in Finnish Society

Fifteen-year-old girls were on a train journey of about 500 kilometers in Finland. They had reserved seats around a table, but when they arrived, a man was sitting there with his suitcase.

The girls had asked the man to move his suitcase, at which point, according to them, he had rolled his eyes. Despite their request, the suitcase remained in their way, preventing one of them from sitting properly in her seat.

Later, the man had openly stared at the girls from head to toe, which they found extremely distressing. Then he took out his phone and stated that the young girls represented the wrong religion.

Eventually, the girls grew tired of the man’s staring and left their seats. As a result, they had to stand for several hours because they did not want to sit next to the man.

The news did not specify what kind of man he was. However, the comment about religion and the staring suggest—at least in my mind—that he was neither Finnish nor of European background, but rather a Muslim or someone from a developing country. This is also indicated by the fact that the Finnish newspaper—Ilta-Sanomat—did not deem it necessary to provide any further details about the man.

If—and when—I am right, this case is yet another example of the change taking place throughout Western Europe. As a result, a safe society based on good manners and rules is already becoming nothing more than a memory of the past.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Gun Violence in Brussels After Swedish Massacre
Who Tried to Abduct a Two-Year-Old Child from Their Grandmother?
Finnish Society Adopts Medieval Characteristics