Watch – Rebecca Davis reports from Ukraine: Can South Africa stay neutral?
Hearing firsthand stories from Ukrainians about Russian atrocities can't help but leave you ashamed of Pretoria's stance on this awful war. Daily Maverick's Rebecca Davis reports from Ukraine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Seven dead, dozens hurt as Russian bridges near Ukraine collapse
MOSCOW - Seven people were killed and dozens injured after bridges in two separate Russian regions bordering Ukraine collapsed overnight, officials said on Sunday, with rail authorities blaming at least one incident on "illegal interference". In Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, a road bridge collapsed onto a railway line late on Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow and killing seven people. A separate rail bridge in the neighbouring Kursk region also collapsed overnight, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver, officials said. Authorities did not say what caused the collapses, nor provide details on the incidents, but prosecutors said they had opened an investigation. Videos posted on social media from the Bryansk region showed rescuers clambering over the mangled chassis of a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while screams could be heard in another video. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Alexander Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 66 others were injured, including three children, he said, giving a revised toll. In a separate incident in the Kursk region, a rail bridge collapsed onto a road, derailing a freight train. "Last night... in the Zheleznogorsk district, a bridge collapsed while a freight locomotive was passing. Part of the train fell onto the road below the bridge," Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram. "One of the locomotive drivers suffered leg injuries, and the entire crew was taken to hospital," he said. 'ILLEGAL INTERFERENCE' There was no immediate comment from Russian investigators on the cause of either collapse. Moscow Railways, a state-owned railway operator, had blamed the incident in the Bryansk region on "illegal interference in the operation of transport" in a post online. But it later appeared to have removed the reference to "illegal interference" from its post. Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment. An AFP reporter in central Moscow saw ambulances parked at Kievsky railway station awaiting the arrival of injured passengers. In one video posted from the Bryansk region social media account, someone could be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rushed to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site in the Bryansk region, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine. The incidents came on the eve of a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year-long conflict.
TimesLIVE
7 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Seven killed after bridge collapse, train derailment in Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine
At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge collapsed onto railway tracks, derailing an approaching train in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, Russian authorities said early on Sunday. Russia's Railways had initially said on the Telegram messaging app that the bridge collapse was the result of an 'illegal interference in the operation of transport', but it has since removed the post. Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, said on Telegram that 44 people were hospitalised. Three children were among those injured with one in serious condition, he added. Russia's ministry of emergency situations said on Telegram that efforts to find and rescue victims continued throughout the night, and that some 180 personnel were involved in the operation. Among those killed was the locomotive driver, Russia's state news agencies reported, citing medics. Social media pictures and videos showed passengers trying to help others climb out of the train's damaged carriages in the dark and firefighters looking for ways to reach passengers. Russia's Baza Telegram channel, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported, without providing evidence, that according to preliminary information, the bridge was blown up. Reuters could not independently verify the Baza report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Since the start of the war that Russia launched more than three years ago, there have been continued cross-border shelling, drone strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine. The train was going from the town of Klimovo to Moscow, Russian Railways said. It collided with the collapsed bridge in the area of a federal highway in the Vygonichskyi district of the Bryansk region, Bogomaz said. The district lies some 100km from the border with Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a deal to end the war, and Russia has proposed a second round of face-to-face talks with Ukrainian officials next week in Istanbul. Ukraine is yet to commit to attending the talks on Monday, saying it first needed to see Russian proposals, while a leading US senator warned Moscow it would be 'hit hard' by new US sanctions.
TimesLIVE
8 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Germany's new chancellor Merz to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday
Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will travel to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday, German and US officials said on Saturday. This will be Merz's first visit to the US since taking office on May 6, and comes amid high tensions between the trans-Atlantic partners over trade and the Russian war in Ukraine. The visit was confirmed by a German government spokesperson and a White House official.
