At least for the Russian Railways, deploying military and possibly convicts seems like a viable solution for the lack of foreign construction workers. The Covid-19 related restrictions led to a shortage of workforce, and consequently, the state-owned company decided to deploy the army to modernise the Baikal-Amur Mainline. However, it is still considering using convicts for the construction works, an idea that results in unpleasant comparisons with the past.