Railway Transport Usage for Medical Evacuation Practiced in Belarus

In Belarus, as part of the CSTO Echelon 2025 exercise, the use of rail transport for medical evacuation was practiced.

This was reported by the press service of the country’s Ministry of Defense.

For this purpose, military sanitary air ambulances were deployed – mobile medical units for the transportation of the wounded and sick at a distance.

The air ambulance is equipped with medical equipment and supplies to provide emergency care and patient care during transportation.

The crew of each air ambulance consists of 33 people, including three doctors.

The rolling stock was identified as a diesel train DDB1-011, Polotsk depot, manufactured by the Riga Carriage Works.

According to RailGallery, this is a train made in 2005, and it is currently not used to transport people on routes, although it underwent a major overhaul in 2022.

The training of Echelon 2025 logistics units of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is one of five announced in Belarus to be held in September 2025.

The country will also carry out the Vzaimodeistviye 2025 exercise of the collective rapid response forces and the Poisk 2025 exercise of intelligence assets.

In addition, there will be joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad 2025, also scheduled for September 2025 in Belarus.

Belarus ratified the agreement on the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRF) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on May 26th, 2010, and signed the agreement in October 2009 “to unite the efforts of CSTO member states to repel an armed attack, as well as to counter other challenges and threats.”

In April 2010, the head of the country, Alexander Lukashenko, declared that there was no prospect of further activity of the Organization if it remained in the same state.