Well that's easy enough to explain. Same place that 21st century mainline steam drivers come from in almost any other country - excursion work. While I can't read the numbers in the footage, the loco may be Er 774 38 which was working excursions in 2010.
How old? Given that the loco appears to be very clean (indicative of something borrowed from preservation rather than some knacker from the end of real steam) and the road traffic visible, it certainly looks like 21st century footage. Unless anyone can find an occasion from 2010ish when such a loco worked revenue freight.I suspect that might be an old video resurrected to take the mickey out of Putin and the path that he is leading Russia down.
Yes, but those people engaged in steam preservation activities are nowhere near enought to provide a significant part of transportation needs for a country like Russia.
No one claimed that the whole of Russia has gone over to steam power (they've got a pretty decent amount of wiring, so weren't as reliant on diesel as some countries anyway).
Now that's a more plausible explanation, thanks
