Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers

Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers
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Injured Ukrainian soldiers are moved on stretchers from ambulances to a military evacuation train transporting Ukrainian servicemen wounded in frontline areas to hospitals, in an undisclosed location amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers
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Ukrainian medical military staff smoke next to a military evacuation train transporting Ukrainian servicemen wounded in frontline areas to hospitals during a stop at a train station, in an undisclosed location amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers
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Viktorya, 25, a military nurse treats an injured Ukrainian soldier onboard a military evacuation train transporting Ukrainian servicemen wounded in frontline areas to hospitals, in an undisclosed location amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers
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Viktorya, 25, a military nurse treats injured Ukrainian soldiers onboard a military evacuation train transporting Ukrainian servicemen wounded in frontline areas to hospitals, in an undisclosed location amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Updated 28 October 2024
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Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers

Inside the secret train evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers
  • Blue-and-yellow carriages of this train operated by the military are carrying wounded soldiers to hospitals away from the precarious front line

UKRAINE: It looks like an ordinary train waiting to depart an ordinary station, but through its fogged windows, a Ukrainian serviceman with face injuries lies stretched out on a gurney.
All of the other blue-and-yellow carriages of this train operated by the military are carrying wounded soldiers to hospitals away from the precarious front line.
Nearly three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, many medical facilities in war-battered eastern Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, while those left untouched are overcrowded.
For Oleksandr, the army doctor overseeing the evacuation, there are clear benefits to rail: many people can be moved at once and it is safer than transporting wounded soldiers by helicopter, given Russian superiority in Ukraine’s airspace.
But there are risks too.
“Our adversary in the war does not distinguish between what’s medical and military, so we take certain security measures,” the 46-year-old said.
AFP was recently granted rare media access to the train, whose points of departure and arrival are not being disclosed for security reasons.
Inside the secret train
Ambulances arrived at the station carrying dozens of wounded troops who were then hauled onto the train on stretchers and settled on beds with floral-patterned sheets.
Ukrainian flags and hand-drawn pictures by children annotated with patriotic messages lined the walls inside the train.
The carriages resemble a hospital until the train rolls away from the platform and gently rocks patients and staff — and everything else inside — as it crawls farther from the front.
“We do everything on the move, everything. Starting from the usual intravenous injections, ending with incubations,” said Viktorya, a nurse dressed in khaki and wearing blue medical gloves.
“We get dizzy afterwards,” the 25-year-old said, standing in front of a window, the sweeping Ukrainian landscape rolling by.
The journeys to and from the front, where Ukraine is coming under increasing pressure, have given Viktorya a painful insight into the cost of the conflict grinding through its third year.
“I understand the number of wounded now. It’s very hard to see it every day,” she said.
Kyiv — like Moscow — is tight-lipped about its soldier casualty count.
President Volodymyr Zelensky in February said the number of Ukrainian servicemen confirmed killed was around 31,000 — a figure observers say is likely an underestimate — but the number of missing and wounded has never been disclosed.
Severe injuries
Most of those wounded were struck in artillery or drone attacks, staff explained, and many have had arms or legs amputated or were unconscious.
One carriage is designated for patients who have been in intensive care and doctors can even operate on patients in case of “force majeure,” doctor Oleksandr said.
Things can go wrong and mass bleeding — an unpredictable and rapid killer — is a major concern for staff.
“Staff are always near the patient,” Oleksandr explained, adding that they take turns using the toilet or eating.
Despite the logistical issues around caregiving on moving trains, the wounded soldiers’ preoccupations lie elsewhere.
“Their psychological state is not good,” Olena, a medical staff worker, told AFP.
“They’re not worried about losing a limb or whatever else. What depresses them is how their comrades are and how their family is,” Olena added.
Tales of war
One Ukrainian serviceman on the train was being treated for a gunshot wound after being caught in a Russian ambush that also killed one of his fellow soldiers.
“Four of us left but not all of us returned,” the 28-year-old who identified himself as Murchyk said.
But he was already gauging when he might be able to make his way back to the front, where Ukraine’s outnumbered forces have been ceding ground to determined Russian advances.
Whether Murchyk can return to combat will be decided by a medical commission, but he said he was clear-eyed about his wish.
“I’d like to go back,” he told AFP.
The train evacuations in Ukraine began when the war did, in February 2022.
It revives a process used in World War II, with several refitted trains now taking wounded troops from the front.
When Oleksandr’s train arrives at its destination, ambulances are already waiting for the patients to be loaded off and taken onwards to hospital.
“It is of course very stressful and yes, you breathe a sigh of relief when you arrive and unload,” he said, “when you see that all the ambulances have left, when the platform is empty and the train is empty.”


Macron vows to stay in office till end of term

Macron vows to stay in office till end of term
Updated 11 sec ago
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Macron vows to stay in office till end of term

Macron vows to stay in office till end of term
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to stay in office until the end of his term, due in 2027, and announced Thursday that he will name a new prime minister within days.
In his address to nation, Macron came out fighting, laying blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down the government of Michel Barnier.
He said they chose “Not to do but to undo.” “They chose disorder,” he said. The president said the far right and the far left had united in what he called “an anti-Republican front” and stressed: “I won’t shoulder other people’s irresponsibility.” He said he’d name a new prime minister within days but gave no hints who that might be.

Ammunition used in CEO’s killing had ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on it

Ammunition used in CEO’s killing had ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on it
Updated 15 min 5 sec ago
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Ammunition used in CEO’s killing had ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on it

Ammunition used in CEO’s killing had ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on it
  • UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference
  • Police release photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting

NEW YORK: The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest US health insurance companies outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” two law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown, blocks from tourist draws like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art. The reason behind the killing remained unknown, but investigators believe it was a targeted attack.
The message left on the ammunition echoes the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by attorneys and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for complicating access to care.
Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled.
The killing and the shooter’s movements in the minutes before and afterward were captured on some of the multitudes of security cameras present in that part of the city.
The hunt for the shooter brought New York City police Thursday morning to at least two hostels on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, based on a tip that the suspected shooter may have stayed at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
Police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. The photos appeared to have been taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel, according to images of the lobby available online.
“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, can not comment at this time,” Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the hostel said in an emailed statement.
Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with the AP.
Investigators also were looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park.
Security camera video showed the killer approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the health executive tumbled to the pavement.
Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza, then escaping on the bicycle. Police issued several surveillance images of the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face, which wouldn’t have attracted attention on a frigid day. Authorities also used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search, but the killer’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.
The insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting with investors in New York to update Wall Street on the company’s direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson’s death.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” UnitedHealth Group said in a statement. “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the US and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.


Muhammad becomes most popular baby name in England and Wales

Muhammad has become the most popular name for boys in England and Wales, overtaking Noah. (Getty Images/File)
Muhammad has become the most popular name for boys in England and Wales, overtaking Noah. (Getty Images/File)
Updated 05 December 2024
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Muhammad becomes most popular baby name in England and Wales

Muhammad has become the most popular name for boys in England and Wales, overtaking Noah. (Getty Images/File)
  • Variants Mohammed and Mohammad feature in top 100 along with Yusuf and Ibrahim
  • Popular culture remains key influence, with names such as Billie and Lana gaining popularity

LONDON: Muhammad has become the most popular name for boys in England and Wales, overtaking Noah.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics do not group together the different spellings of Muhammad, meaning that all the various iterations of the name together have made it the most popular for many years.

Mohammed and Mohammad both appear in the top 100 names for boys born in England and Wales in 2023.

There were 4,661 children registered as Muhammad, increasing from 4,177 in 2022.

The name was popular in regions with higher Muslim populations, such as London, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and the North West.

Mohammed was the 28th most popular, with 1,601 newborns registered, while Mohammad was 68th, with 835.

Other Muslim boys’ names in the top 100 include Yusuf, Ibrahim, and Musa.

The third most popular boys’ name was Oliver, followed by George and Leo.

For girls, Olivia has remained the most popular name for eight years. Amelia and Isla have been second and third for two years in a row.

The top 100 girls’ names included Layla, Maryam, and Fatima, which are all favorites with Muslim families.

The ONS said popular culture remained a key influence for parents choosing names for their babies. 

Increasing numbers were names after music stars Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, and actors Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy.

Even the names of celebrity babies such as the offspring from the Kardashian-Jenner family, Reign and Saint, gained popularity.


Young Georgians see homeland at turning point amid pro-EU protests

Young Georgians see homeland at turning point amid pro-EU protests
Updated 05 December 2024
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Young Georgians see homeland at turning point amid pro-EU protests

Young Georgians see homeland at turning point amid pro-EU protests
  • Georgian Dream says the protests represent an attempt to stage a violent revolution by pro-EU opposition parties
  • Younger Georgians have been numerous at pro-EU rallies that have flared up periodically since the spring

TBILISI: Almost every night since pro-EU protests erupted in Georgia last week, young husband-and-wife duo Mamuka Matkava and Gogona Parkaia have been working flat out to feed their fellow demonstrators.
Each night the couple, one a musician and the other an artist, spend three to four hours cooking dozens of mchadi, a traditional cornbread native to their home region of Mingrelia in western Georgia, in their small flat in a quiet residential neighborhood of the capital Tbilisi.
Adding to each piece a slice of salty Georgian sulguni cheese, they dish out the snacks to protesters gathered on Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue, the epicenter of the protests. Many protesters stay out until morning amid lengthy standoffs with riot police armed with water cannon and tear gas.
The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million has been gripped by crisis since the Georgian Dream party, returned to power in an October election the opposition says was tainted by fraud, said last week it was halting European Union accession talks until 2028, abruptly freezing a long-standing national goal of EU membership that is written into Georgia’s constitution.
Georgian Dream says the protests represent an attempt to stage a violent revolution by pro-EU opposition parties.
Like many young Georgians, Gogona sees the question of EU membership as existential for her country, which gained independence at the Soviet Union’s break-up in 1991, but has under Georgian Dream deepened ties with Russia, which continues to support two breakaway Georgian regions.
“The most important thing is that we need to avoid becoming part of Russia,” she said.
“We need a friend who can protect us from the power of Russia, you know? Because we are a very small country, and by ourselves, we cannot do anything.”
For Gogona, who runs a YouTube channel with husband Mamuka, there is an added responsibility. She is pregnant, and says that helping feed protesters allows her to take a stand without risking her unborn child at protests that often turn violent, and at which over 300 people have been detained.
“I don’t just feel responsible for myself right now. I feel responsible for my child,” she said.

GENERATION GAP
Younger Georgians have been numerous at pro-EU rallies that have flared up periodically since the spring, when Georgian Dream introduced a law on “foreign agents” that domestic and foreign critics say is draconian and Russian-inspired.
In contrast to their elders, few younger Georgians have visited Russia, or speak its language, having grown up in a period when Moscow imposed a stringent visa regime on Georgians that was only lifted last year.
Born and raised in a country where EU and Georgian flags fly together outside government buildings, and enjoying visa-free travel to the EU’s Schengen Zone, Georgia’s Generation Z tend toward pro-Western views.
They see the current protests as a seminal moment in the history of Georgia, which was ruled from Russia for around 200 years, and fought and lost a brief war with its huge neighbor in 2008.
Twenty-year-old politics student Nini came to Wednesday night’s protest with classmates from one of Tbilisi’s private universities, most of which have suspended studies amid mass student walk-outs.
Like many rally-goers, she carried a gas mask slung around her neck in case of a police crackdown.
She said: “As a student, and as a Georgian, just a citizen, I feel like it’s my obligation to stand with my people, with my fellow Georgians when there is such a critical situation in our country.”
Nini said that her peers, who grew up online and often speak fluent English, took their pro-Western cues from their parents’ and grandparents’ bitter experiences of Georgia’s turbulent history since independence.
“We don’t want to go back into the past. We’re not going back.”
For expectant mother Gogona, her unborn child only adds to the significance of the current moment.
“We don’t want our children to have to protest in their life. We want them to have freedom and the opportunity to choose their own way,” she said.
“We just want them to be in a free country, you know?”


Russia closes Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg in tit-for-tat move

Russia closes Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg in tit-for-tat move
Updated 05 December 2024
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Russia closes Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg in tit-for-tat move

Russia closes Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg in tit-for-tat move
  • Poland announced it was closing the Russian consulate in Poznan in October, accusing Moscow of “sabotage” attempts in the country and its allies
  • Tensions between Russia and NATO member Poland have escalated since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022

MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday ordered the Polish consulate in Saint Petersburg to close in retaliation for the Poland shutting the Russian consulate in the Polish city of Poznan, the foreign ministry said.
Poland announced it was closing the Russian consulate in Poznan in October, accusing Moscow of “sabotage” attempts in the country and its allies.
“Guided by the principle of reciprocity, three diplomatic staff members of the consulate general of the Republic of Poland in Saint Petersburg have been declared persona non grata,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said.
It said the consulate must close and its staff leave Russia by January 10, 2025.
Poland responded that it would close all the Russian consulates on its soil if “terrorism” it blamed on Moscow carried on.
“If acts of diversion and terrorism continue, I will close down the rest of the Russian consulate presence in Poland,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters after Moscow announced the closure of the Saint Petersburg consulate.
Tensions between Russia and NATO member Poland have escalated since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, with both sides expelling dozens of diplomats.
Poland is a staunch ally of Kyiv and has been a key transit point for Western arms heading to the embattled country since the conflict began.
It has accused Russia of being behind espionage and sabotage attempts on its territory.
In one of the largest espionage trials, Poland last year convicted 14 citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine of preparing sabotage on behalf of Moscow as part of a spy ring.
They were found guilty of preparing to derail trains carrying aid to Ukraine, and monitoring military facilities and critical infrastructure in the country.