This really belongs in the epic thread started by @Nole Lou , but perhaps a wider audience will appreciate it as well. Slava Ukraini…
www.cnn.com
Since the Russian invasion began, Krings has been documenting these unsung heroes in a photo series he calls Iron People.
“It’s what railway workers have been generally referred to before the war, because it refers to their strength and iron will and, of course, the iron that you recognize on a railway track,” he said. “But it’s also a certain characteristic that people see in these railway workers. After the war, it has become a way to also refer to their courage and stepping up and keeping intact this incredibly important institution.”
Ukraine’s railway system, with nearly 15,000 miles of tracks, is the 12th-largest in the world. It has become an essential lifeline during the war, helping millions of Ukrainians find safety.
“It’s hard, but you have to do your job to get all these people out,” said Viacheslav Anatoliiovych Chumak, a train driver who has been working for the railways since 1996. “It’s our duty.”
There are an estimated 230,000 workers in the Ukrainian railway system, and they serve many types of roles.
Larysa Anatoliivna Zenchenko works on an evacuation train. She described to Krings what it’s like when refugees first come aboard.
“They see us as some kind of, you know, rescuers. Some kind of protection,” she said. “They come in, and in the next 15-20 minutes we start talking to them. They begin to realize that they are somehow escaping from there, and they have food here, have water.
“They calm down a little bit and understand that they are escaping. … I say it’s going to be OK. I have to calm them down somehow.”
How Ukraine's ‘iron people’ keep the country on track
Ukraine’s railway workers have been indispensable since the start of the Russian invasion, helping millions of refugees evacuate. They have also made a huge impact on the battlefield.
www.cnn.com
Since the Russian invasion began, Krings has been documenting these unsung heroes in a photo series he calls Iron People.
“It’s what railway workers have been generally referred to before the war, because it refers to their strength and iron will and, of course, the iron that you recognize on a railway track,” he said. “But it’s also a certain characteristic that people see in these railway workers. After the war, it has become a way to also refer to their courage and stepping up and keeping intact this incredibly important institution.”
Ukraine’s railway system, with nearly 15,000 miles of tracks, is the 12th-largest in the world. It has become an essential lifeline during the war, helping millions of Ukrainians find safety.
“It’s hard, but you have to do your job to get all these people out,” said Viacheslav Anatoliiovych Chumak, a train driver who has been working for the railways since 1996. “It’s our duty.”
There are an estimated 230,000 workers in the Ukrainian railway system, and they serve many types of roles.
Larysa Anatoliivna Zenchenko works on an evacuation train. She described to Krings what it’s like when refugees first come aboard.
“They see us as some kind of, you know, rescuers. Some kind of protection,” she said. “They come in, and in the next 15-20 minutes we start talking to them. They begin to realize that they are somehow escaping from there, and they have food here, have water.
“They calm down a little bit and understand that they are escaping. … I say it’s going to be OK. I have to calm them down somehow.”
