World

(TEMPI, Greece) — A station manager faces manslaughter charges following a deadly high-speed train collision that killed dozens of people in central Greece, his attorney said Thursday.

At least 57 people have been confirmed dead and more than 80 others injured in the head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train Tuesday night in Tempi, near the city of Larissa, officials said, as the death toll has continued to rise in the wake of the fiery crash.

About 350 people were on board the passenger train, which was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, according to the Greek rail operator Hellenic Train.

The passenger train was traveling at a speed of about 103 mph when it collided with the freight train, according to the Hellenic Fire Service. Greek state TV reported that the two trains were running on the same line for 12 minutes, or a distance of about 11 miles.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday that the incident was “mainly due to tragic human error.”

The 59-year-old Larissa station manager was arrested following the deadly crash and has since been charged with disruption of public transport safety, manslaughter and bodily injuries by negligence, his lawyer told reporters outside the courthouse Thursday.

The station manager, who could face up to life in prison for the manslaughter charge, has not been publicly identified. He has until Saturday to prepare his defense, his lawyer told reporters.

The station manager reportedly took some responsibility for the disaster but other factors were at play, his lawyer said, according to Reuters. The man was assigned his role a few months ago, according to Greek state media reports.

Supreme Court Prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos on Wednesday called on the investigating Larissa prosecutor to broaden his search in all directions and collect all available evidence to identify everyone responsible for the deadly rail collision, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.

Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced his resignation Wednesday after visiting the crash site in Tempi, saying he felt it was his “duty” to do so “as a minimum sign of respect” to the victims.

The heads of the Hellenic Railways Association and national railway subsidiary ERGOSE also resigned in the wake of the crash, according to Prime Minister Mitsotakis.

Trains were not running anywhere in Greece on Thursday after members of the Federation of Railway Employees decided to strike for 24 hours following the train crash.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Daphne Tolis contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — One year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, both sides are still fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops have liberated nearly 30,000 square miles of their territory from Russian forces since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war. Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have already died on the battlefield, while Ukrainian civilians continue to be terrorized by Russian missiles.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Mar 02, 3:48 PM EST
US to announce more weapons for Ukraine on Friday

The U.S. will announce another assistance package for Ukraine on Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby announced Thursday afternoon, but did not detail the exact size of this next round of support.

“You’ll see us tomorrow, just unilaterally, the U.S. will have another round of assistance for Ukraine coming tomorrow. And it will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that the Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery.”

The new aid comes as President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House Friday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues.

Kirby said the leaders would discuss the “kinds of capabilities that Ukraine continues to need in the weeks and months ahead.”

He also said this will be a “true working visit” between Biden and Scholz and they are expected to discuss “recent engagements with Ukrainian officials, including the President’s trip to Kyiv and meeting with President Zelenskyy, as well as Chancellor Schultz’s meeting with President Zelensky in Paris last month.”

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Mar 02, 3:12 PM EST
Lavrov ‘diverted’ Blinken’s calls to reconsider Russia leaving START treaty

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “diverted” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s calls to reconsider the decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START treaty, Russia’s foreign ministry told Interfax, Russian news agency.

“If they want to return to diplomacy, let them return. If they are engaged in self-promotion and such inexpensive PR, well, this is possible. True, the result will be appropriate,” Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Russian TV channel Rossiya-1.

-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia

Mar 02, 12:36 PM EST
Blinken, Lavrov hold ‘on the go’ talk at G-20 meeting

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had an “on the go” talk during the G-20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in India, but there were no negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, a Russian news agency, Thursday.

“Blinken asked for a contact with Lavrov. Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] had communication on the go during the second session. But there were no negotiations, no meeting or so on,” the diplomat said.

Blinken had said earlier in the day during a press conference he had “spoke briefly” with Lavrov and discussed ending the war, as well as Russia rejoining the New START Treaty on nuclear arms.

“I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today: End this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that could produce a just and durable peace,” he said. “The United States stands ready to support Ukraine through diplomacy to end the war on this basis.”

A senior State Department official downplayed any hopes that the conversation moved the needle on any of the topics.

-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Shannon Crawford

Mar 01, 5:12 PM EST
Ukraine says it’s shot down 80% of Russian missiles

Ukraine has shot down 80% of Russian missiles, according to Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force Serhiy Nayev.

Nayev made the assessment in a Facebook post on Wednesday about the effectiveness of the air defense system.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Feb 28, 4:59 PM EST
Ukrainians to send more forces to Bahkmut

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces, will send additional units to Bahkmut, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar.

“Bakhmut has been the epicenter of hostilities for several months now. The enemy has concentrated its key efforts there because it aims to reach the borders of the Donetsk region. The situation there is really tense and difficult,” Malyar said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed that statement in his nightly address.

“The most difficult situation is still Bakhmut and the battles that are important for the defense of the city,” he said.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Will Gretsky

Feb 28, 2:31 PM EST
Belarusian president, Putin ally, arrives in China for state visit

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived on a state visit to China on Tuesday, according to Sputnik, a Russian state-owned news agency.

During his planned three-day visit, Lukashenko will hold a series of meetings with top Chinese officials, according to Sputnik.

Belarus has been an unofficial ally of Russia since the war began.

Lukashenko’s visit comes at a time when Western officials have issued warnings about the Chinese government possibly aiding Russia in its invasion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said they have intelligence showing China is preparing to send lethal aid to Russia.

Last week, the Chinese foreign minister visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia. During remarks at that meeting, Putin said he is planning for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Russia this spring.

-ABC News’ Natalia Shumskaia

Feb 28, 2:17 PM EST
Putin admits Russian military losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Russian military losses from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine during his annual meeting with the federal security service Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, comrade officers, we know that there are losses in our ranks,” Putin said.

Putin called on the FSB to provide “support” to the families of soldiers who have died in the war.

“We will always remember their heroism and bravery,” he added.

Putin did not say how many soldiers have died in the war and the Russian Ministry of Defense hasn’t disclosed an exact number of losses since September 2022 when Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said just shy of 6,000 troops had died.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department officials said Russia has likely suffered 200,000 injured or dead soldiers since the start of the war.

Putin also called on the FSB to make sure its border guard “undertake special efforts to control the Russian state border with Ukraine.”

A “special group” is currently deployed at the Russia-Ukraine border, made up of border agencies, the FSB air arm, the Russian Armed Forces and the Russian National Guard, according to Putin.

“Your mission is to prevent any incursions by sabotage groups and stop any attempts to smuggle weapons and ammunition into Russia,” Putin told the FSB board.

-ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova and Anastasia Bagaeva

Feb 27, 1:44 PM EST
Ukrainian forces shoot down 11 drones as Russia launches overnight attacks

Air raid sirens blared for more than five hours in several locations across Ukraine starting late Sunday and lasting until the early morning hours.

Ukrainian air forces shot down 11 out of 14 that Russia launched from the north last night, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Over the past 24 hours, Russians have launched five missiles and 13 air strikes, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russian troops also launched more than 50 rocket attacks primarily in Kherson and Donetsk regions, which led to “dead and wounded civilians, destroyed civilian houses and damaged civilian infrastructure,” according to Ukrainian officials.

Shelling from Russian forces was recorded in more than 25 settlements in the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, Ukrainian officials said.

Feb 27, 11:58 AM EST
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen makes surprise visit to Kyiv

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Kyiv Monday and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm the U.S.’s financial support to Ukraine.

Yellen announced $1.25 billion in economic and budgetary assistance, which helps the Ukrainian government continue to run, funds payroll for soldiers on the front lines and shores up critical infrastructure, according to the Treasury Department.

“I bring to Kyiv a clear message from President Biden and the American people: We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Yellen said in her remarks during her sitdown with Zelenskyy.

Yellen told Zelenskyy that the U.S. will provide over $8 billion in this type of assistance “over the coming months,” according to the Treasury Department. A readout of the meeting stated the U.S. will provide $9.9 billion total during the first three quarters of 2023.

Feb 25, 2:27 PM EST
Russian strike damages clinic, injuring one: Ukrainian official

One person was injured after a Russian missile hit a medical clinic in the town of Krasnotorka, Ukraine, in the eastern Donetsk oblast, Ukrainian regional military chief Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a Facebook post.

Feb 24, 6:20 PM EST
Zelenskyy says he’s open to meet with Chinese president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Kyiv on Friday he would like to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Zelenskyy said he’d like to talk about the Chinese government’s offer to discuss a peace agreement in detail, “because it’s about our country.” However, the president noted that the Chinese government hasn’t directly talked to Ukrainian’s government.

“The first point of their plan is ‘recognition of national sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ but they didn’t even mention the country. I hope they meant us, Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “If it’s us, everybody understands that territorial integrity can be achieved by withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied territories.”

Zelenskyy said it is “priority number one” for him to prevent China from providing Russia with weapons for the ongoing conflict.

“I believe China is going to side with the idea of fair peace, peace and fairness which is our side,” he added.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Feb 24, 5:42 PM EST
Nearly 200k Russian troops killed or wounded so far: Western officials

Western officials have provided a more detailed look at the scope of losses for Russia since its invasion began a year ago.

The range of Russian casualties is believed to be between 180,000 and 200,000, which includes killed and wounded figures, a U.S. official told ABC News. The official cautioned that this number is all inexact but also includes Wagner forces.

The ratio of wounded to killed soldiers is three to one among estimated Russian casualties of 175,000 to 200,000, Western officials told ABC News on Feb. 21.

On the Ukrainian side, there are “at least 100,000” Ukrainian casualties in the war so far with a ratio of 20 wounded soldiers to every dead soldier, Western officials said on Feb. 21.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Elle Kaufman and Zoe Magee

Feb 24, 3:19 PM EST
White House says Iran’s support for Russia is expanding

The White House is now warning that Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine is “expanding” with the country sending additional military aid in November with the expectation that more will be obtained.

“In November, Iran shipped artillery and tank rounds to Russia for use in Ukraine,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said Friday. “Russia is planning to cooperate with Iran to obtain more military equipment.”

In return, Kirby said that Russia “has been offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense.”

“We believe that Russia might provide Iran with fighter jets. Iran is also seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia including attack helicopters, radars and combat trainer aircraft. In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars of military equipment from Russia,” Kirby said.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Feb 24, 2:34 PM EST
Ukraine accuses Russia of conducting ‘state sponsored kidnapping of children’

Ukraine accused Russia of conducting state-sponsored kidnapping of children, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement to the United Nations Security Council on Friday.

“The magnitude of the humanitarian crisis brought on by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine cannot be overstated. I would like to highlight here one of numerous horrendous facts – Russia is now implementing in Ukraine probably the largest instance of state sponsored kidnapping of children in history of our modern world,” Kuleba said.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Feb 24, 12:21 PM EST
Zelenskyy hopes China will not supply Russia with weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters he wants to believe China won’t supply Russia with weapons in the ongoing conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the U.S. and NATO have intelligence that China is getting ready to possibly supply Russia with weapons. China has denied these claims.

Zelenskyy said it is “priority No. 1” for him to prevent China from providing Russia with weapons.

“This is very important. This is priority No. 1 for me and I am doing my best to prevent that from happening. It is important for us,” he said.

He added, “I believe China is going to side with the idea of fair peace, peace and fairness which is our side.”

Feb 24, 12:01 PM EST
After a year, is the US strategy to help Ukraine win or force a stalemate?

One year ago, with Ukraine’s borders surrounded by what seemed to be a superior military force, many U.S. officials and analysts predicted a swift Russian blitz to Kyiv.

But after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his more than 150,000 arrayed troops across the border, it soon became clear that a dual reassessment was in order: The Russian invaders were less potent than advertised, and the Ukrainians were unexpectedly stubborn and wily in the defense.

Some of the Russian troops weren’t even aware they were on a combat mission until Ukrainian bullets came cracking past them, according to U.S. officials. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces stalled a massive Russian supply convoy through direct attacks and by destroying a key bridge. Only one week into the invasion, Putin’s men were plagued with food and fuel shortages, morale running similarly low.

Kyiv stood.

“Putin assumed that Ukraine was an easy target, Putin assumed that Kyiv would easily fall, and Putin assumed that the world would stand by,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a speech in Brussels last week. “But the Kremlin was wrong on every count.”

Ukrainian forces were armed with more than grit.

They also had years of U.S. and NATO military training, plus American-made weapons, like anti-armor Javelins and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles. These made Russian vehicles vulnerable to ambush, and left Russian helicopter and jet pilots wary of flying over Ukrainian positions. Indeed, many airmen did not return from their sorties.

Despite astonishing losses of soldiers and vehicles, Putin has shown no inclination to end the conflict anytime soon. And despite its tenacity, Ukraine has also taken significant casualties, and is not able to produce enough of its own weapons and ammunition to keep up the fight.

Ukraine, after thwarting the advance on its capital, and later routing Russian forces from Kharkiv, now largely faces a battle of supply.

“When this war began, Russia had a larger population, a much bigger defense budget, a bigger military, bigger industrial base. So, this became an industrial war and a war of industrial bases,” said Seth Jones, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This is why Western industrial support has been so critical.”

A key question now is, despite massive military aid packages and a promise to send even more, could the U.S. strategy ultimately result, not in a Ukrainian victory, but a stalemate in a years-long war of attrition?

Feb 24, 11:31 AM EST
If Ukraine’s partners keep their word on aid, Ukraine will ‘definitely win,’ Zelenskyy says

Asked if he believes in victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country “definitely” will if fellow nations keep their word about help and aid.

“Luckily, we’re not alone, so all of us should stay focused,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine has “put forward its peace plan, peace formula,” which is “supported by many nations.”

Rather than having bilateral peace negotiations, Zelenskyy suggested a “peace forum with participation of many countries from different continents.”

“I’d like to see China, India, other countries approving post-war security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.

Feb 24, 10:27 AM EST
US adds 200 export control restrictions on Russia

On the anniversary of the war, the U.S. Commerce Department is adding nearly 200 additional export restrictions on Russian entities for the invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. has already sanctioned Russia and Belarus with export controls because of the war. The new controls levied Friday limit semiconductor exports to Russia as well as oil and gas exports.

The U.S. said previously that its export controls have impacted on Russia’s military.

“Thanks to President Biden’s leadership and the collective efforts of the Global Export Control Coalition, we have further degraded Russia’s military capabilities by denying access to many components used for aircraft and tanks, as well as semiconductors and other items needed for advanced military applications,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said in a statement.

Feb 24, 10:17 AM EST
Ukraine’s surprising resistance and the rise of its unlikely wartime hero

As tens of thousands of invading Russian troops and tanks thundered across his nation’s border in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received an offer from the United States to evacuate him and his family out of the country.

But in the biggest moment of his yet budding political life, with a world superpower bearing down with brutal force, Zelenskyy rejected the offer to escape, replying, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

A year later, he and his country are still standing strong, forcefully pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive campaign to pummel Ukraine into submission.

Zelenskyy set the defiant tone for his country just hours after the war started. He shed his suits and ties for military fatigues and combat boots, and boldly posted a selfie video message to the frightened citizens of his nation. Standing on a street outside his office in the capital city of Kyiv, members of his cabinet and military advisors at his side, the then-44-year-old Zelenskyy stared into the camera and announced he and his leadership team were staying put.

“We are all here defending our independence and we are defending our country and we will keep doing that,” he said.

It was a dramatic rallying cry that echoed around the world and began the transformation of Zelenskyy into a wartime hero with some admirers even comparing him to Great Britain’s Winston Churchill standing up to Nazi Germany during World War II.

Feb 24, 9:46 AM EST
Poland delivers 1st Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Poland announced Friday that it has provided Ukraine with its first Leopard tanks to aid the fight against Russia.

“The Leopard tanks will definitely stand up well in your formation on the battlefield. They will work great,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Kyiv to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Poland delivered four Leopard 2A4s — a model of the latest version of the German main battle tank — to Ukraine, with more expected to be on the way, according to Morawiecki.

“We will also soon hand over more and we urge our partners from the European Union and NATO to do the same,” Morawiecki said.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Feb 24, 9:23 AM EST
Kuleba says Ukraine will do ‘whatever it takes’ to defeat Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Friday that his country will do “whatever it takes” to defeat the Russian invaders.

“This war has no timeline. It has only [one] result in the end and that’s victory, because we stand for the right cause,” Kuleba told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview on Good Morning America.

“We defend ourselves. We are liberating our territory with generous support of many countries of the world, with the United States being at the top of it,” he added. “I want to convey the words of gratitude from the people of Ukraine to the people of America for standing by us in this very just struggle for freedom and peace.”

Kuleba noted that “ammunition, tanks, long-range missiles, planes” are the “most-wanted weapons” on Ukraine’s list.

“I have no doubt that we will prevail,” he said. “But, you know, for David to be able to defeat Goliath, David needs a sling. And all of these weapons, it’s all about this sling that will help us to win.”

Kuleba said Ukrainians are fighting for “territorial integrity.”

“If you are attacked, you have to fight. You have to take up the fight and defend your country,” he added. “And this is the feeling that drives us through all of this endless suffering.”

When asked whether there’s any kind of peace proposal that could be accepted by both sides, Kuleba said: “As of now, we are irreconcilable.”

“Because while we defend our territory, [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants to grab our territory. While we want accountability for numerous atrocities committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, Putin wants to escape responsibility,” he explained. “This aggression of Russia will go down in textbooks as the most apparent case of aggression in modern history. So the truth is on our side and this is why we feel so empowered to fight and to win.”

Feb 24, 7:58 AM EST
Blinken talks status of Russia-Ukraine war

Speaking to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed where things stand in the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, one year after it began.

“Ukraine is still standing, it remains free, it remains independent,” Blinken said. “Putin’s first objective was to erase Ukraine from the map, to erase its identity, to absorb it into Russia. That has failed and will never succeed.”

“Now, there’s a fierce battle going on for the territory that Russia has seized,” he added. “Ukraine’s gotten about 50% of what Russia’s taken since last February and now, there’s a fight for the rest.”

When asked how long Ukraine can hold on, with its economy devastated and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly preparing for a long war, Blinken said he thinks “the Ukrainians are the ones who are going to fight to the finish.”

“There’s one big difference: The Ukrainians are fighting for their country, for their land, for their future; the Russians are not,” he noted. “And at the end of the day, assuming the support continues from so many countries around the world — material support, military, economic, humanitarian — Ukraine will succeed.”

Blinken said it’s “hard to predict” when the war will end.

“No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians, but it has to be a just and durable peace,” he added. “Just in terms of reflecting the basic principles that are at the heart of the U.N. Charter, which is territorial integrity of countries, their sovereignty. And durable in the sense that wherever it lands, we don’t want it to land in place where Russia can simply repeat the exercise a year or two or five years later.”

Feb 24, 7:36 AM EST
Blinken warns China is ‘contemplating lethal assistance’ for Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that China is “actively thinking about” providing lethal assistance to Russian forces in war-torn Ukraine.

“We’re very concerned that they’re thinking about it. Up until now, Chinese companies have provided non-lethal support,” Blinken told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview on Good Morning America.

“From Day One, President Biden warned President Xi not to provide material lethal assistance to Russia for use against Ukraine or to engage in the systematic evasion of sanctions. And the information we have suggests that they’re now actively thinking about it, which is why we’ve been public about warning them not to,” he added. “It could make a material difference in Russia’s capacity on the ground at a time when we want to bring this war to an end, not add fuel to the fire and have it continue.”

The U.S. government has “shared a lot of information with other countries, with allies and partners,” regarding the fact that China is now considering lethal assistance, according to Blinken.

“We always have to get the balance right between making sure that we’re protecting the way we get our information and releasing it,” he said. “But we thought it was really important to make clear that China’s looking at this. And what they’re hearing not just from us but from many other countries around the world is: Don’t do it.”

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a position paper on Friday, calling for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions and the consideration of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security concerns of all countries. Blinken told ABC News that the U.S. government is “taking a look at it.”

“No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians and any proposal that can advance peace is something that’s worth looking at,” he said. “But, you know, there are 12 points in the Chinese plan. If they were serious about the first one, sovereignty, then this war could end tomorrow.”

“China’s been trying to have it both ways,” he added. “It’s on the one hand trying to present itself publicly as neutral and seeking peace, while at the same time it is talking up Russia’s false narrative about the war, it is, as I said, providing non-lethal assistance to its companies and now contemplating lethal assistance.”

Feb 24, 6:52 AM EST
How the Russia-Ukraine conflict became a cultural war

In the basement of the Syayvo bookstore in Ukraine’s capital, hundreds of Russian language books stand piled, waiting to be pulped.

The books — ranging from everything between the classics of Russian literature to works translated into Russian and Soviet-era textbooks — have been donated by Ukrainians who have turned away from Russian culture to embrace their own since the invasion last year.

They are set to be recycled and turned into Ukrainian language texts or other products, with all profits going to support the war effort, Nadia Kibenko, the 32-year-old store worker who is handling the books, told ABC News. They have recycled 75 tons — around 150,000 volumes — since last July, she said. As a child, Kibenko grew up in a Ukrainian speaking household but, more often than not, only had the choice to read in Russian.

“We do not burn books,” Kibenko told ABC News during a recent interview in Kyiv. “We just give them second life.”

The cultural battleground is not just symbolic. Witnesses from the Russian occupied territories say that, in schools, Ukrainian language books were thrown out and replaced by Russian ones as new curricula taught Putin’s view that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people.”

A report published in December by PEN America, a New York-based literary and human rights organization, said that “culture was on the frontlines” and Putin “seeks not only to control Ukrainian territory, but to erase Ukrainian culture and identity.”

-ABC News’ Guy Davies

Feb 24, 6:13 AM EST
US announces $2 billion more in military aid for Ukraine

The United States announced an additional $2 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, as the Eastern European country marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The new aid package includes more missiles for Ukraine’s U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), additional 155mm artillery ammunition, more Switchblade one-way drones and other military equipment, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

“One year into a war of aggression waged by a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, our allies and partners worldwide stand united and resolute,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “Putin’s reckless, illegal war is not just an all-out assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and a historic threat to European security. It is also a direct attack on the system of rules, institutions, and laws that the world built at such great cost after World War II — a system that rejects aggression and respects the rights of all countries, big and small.”

The additional aid is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) plan, meaning this equipment and artillery have to be made from scratch before being delivered, which will take time. This is different from the other aid packages that come from existing U.S. military stockpiles and get delivered faster.

With the new aid package, the Biden administration has now provided $31.8 billion in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s war began on Feb. 24, 2022.

“Putin thought that Ukraine’s defenses would collapse, that America’s resolve would falter, and that the world would look the other way. He was wrong,” Lloyd said. “One year later, Ukraine’s brave defenders have not wavered, and neither has our commitment to support them for as long as it takes. Despite the Kremlin’s campaign of cruelty, the people of Ukraine have shown stunning bravery, skill, and fortitude. Today and every day, we stand by the courageous Ukrainians fighting to defend their country, and we mourn with those who have lost their loved ones in Moscow’s monstrous and unnecessary war.”

“Difficult times may lie ahead, but let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine,” he added. “And let us remain united in purpose and in action — and steadfast in our commitment to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil.”

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Feb 24, 5:37 AM EST
US announces fresh sanctions targeting Russia

The United States announced Friday a series of fresh sanctions against those who are supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The White House said the new sanctions target more than 200 people and companies in Russia and other countries around the world. The Biden administration will also target a dozen Russian financial institutions as well as Russian officials and will restrict U.S. companies from exporting products to around 90 companies in Russia and other countries, including China, according to the White House.

The products that will be limited, such as semiconductor chips, are being used for “sanction evasion and backfill activities in support of Russia’s defense sector,” the White House said.

The U.S. will also increase tariffs on Russian metals, minerals and chemicals, which will eventually cost Moscow some $2.8 billion, according to the White House.

“These sanctions, export controls, and tariffs are part of our ongoing efforts to impose strong additional economic costs on Russia,” the White House said. “We will continue to work with our allies and partners to use all economic tools available to us to disrupt Russia’s ability to wage its war and degrade its economy over time.”

The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Feb 24, 5:05 AM EST
No end in sight as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters 2nd year

As tens of thousands of Russian troops lined up along Ukraine’s eastern and northern borders for “military exercises” last February, some international observers warned that Russia was about to do the unthinkable.

U.S. President Joe Biden had declassified intelligence in the weeks prior that showed an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty was imminent. That intel was shared with allies, in an attempt to rally support and to stop the war, but the effort proved unsuccessful. The invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022.

The following four seasons have seen some of the bloodiest fighting on European soil in generations. Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian troops have been killed. And Ukrainian civilians have been terrorized by missiles aimed at energy infrastructure, city centers and apartment buildings.

This month marks both the 9-year anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, which he illegally annexed in 2014, and the first anniversary of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The ends to which he’d go in his mission to capture Ukraine have become clear in the last year.

-ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey

Feb 24, 4:26 AM EST
Ukraine braces for Russian missile strikes on 1-year anniversary of war

There was a somber mood over Kyiv on Friday morning as the country marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion while bracing for a potential barrage of missile strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with the country’s top general and the defense minister, took part in a military ceremony in Sofia Square in the historical center of the capital city. Zelenskyy and Poland’s president also visited a memorial wall for fallen Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainians are anticipating Russian missile strikes to mark the anniversary, amid warnings from the Ukrainian Air Force that there is a high risk of them. But so far it has been quiet, with no major strikes beyond routine shelling in northern and eastern Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Feb 23, 3:19 PM EST
China pushes back against US claims it may supply weapons to Russia

The United States’ claims that they have intelligence showing China plans to provide weapons to Russia to assist in the ongoing war in Ukraine will impede the “political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis” and “will also further damage” China-US relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a press conference Thursday.

Wenbin called US claims of intelligence “nothing more than catching up on the wind, slandering and discrediting China.”

“Since the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, China has been steadfast in dialogue. While standing on peace, it has persuaded and introduced peace in its own way and played a constructive role in resolving the crisis in line with the situation,” Wenbin said.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Karson Yiu

Feb 23, 2:37 PM EST
Eiffel Tower lit up in blue and yellow

The Eiffel Tower in Paris has been lit up in blue and yellow in honor of the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul

Feb 23, 2:19 PM EST
13 million people have been displaced due to the war in Ukraine

A year into the war in Ukraine, 13 million people have been displaced, including nearly 8 million refugees across Europe and more than 5 million internally displaced in Ukraine, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement Thursday.

“The vast majority of refugees and internally displaced Ukrainians – some 77% and 79%, respectively – want to return home one day, however, only 12% of both refugees and [internally displaced people] plan to do so in the next three months,” the UNHCR said in a press release.

-ABC News’ Zoe Magee

Feb 22, 1:16 PM EST
Air raid sirens go off across Ukraine; 4 airstrikes in Kharkiv injure 2

Air raid sirens went off across Ukraine on Wednesday due to jets taking off in Belarus.

There were four strikes from Russian S-300 missiles on industrial infrastructure facilities in central Kharkiv, the head of Kharkiv’s Regional Military Administration Oleh Synegubov said.

Two men, ages 46 and 57, were injured from the attacks. They have both been hospitalized.

In Izyum, a city in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, a 55-year-old civilian stepped on a “petal” mine. He was hospitalized with an explosive wound, Synehubov said.

One person was killed and another person was injured from fighting in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Tuesday, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

-ABC News’ Natalia Kushnir

Feb 22, 11:24 AM EST
US believes Russia held failed ICBM test 2 days before Biden visited Ukraine

The United States believes that Russia carried out a test launch of an intercontinental missile on Saturday that appears to have failed, a U.S. official said.

Russia notified the U.S. ahead of the SARMAT ICBM launch, per agreements said the official.

The failed test launch would have taken place two days before President Joe Biden arrived in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on an unannounced trip, as he made his way to Poland to meet with NATO allies and to give a speech marking a year of war.

Ukrainian officials on Sunday publicly claimed Russia was preparing to stage large scale nuclear exercises including a launch to coincide with Biden’s trip.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Patrick Reevell

Correction: This post initially stated the test happened on Monday when Biden was in Ukraine. It has been updated to reflect that the test actually happened on Saturday.

Feb 20, 5:39 AM EST
Biden in Kyiv says Putin was ‘dead wrong’

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong” when he started the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

“When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said in a statement. “He thought he could outlast us. But he was dead wrong.”

The White House released the statement from Biden as he made an unannounced visit to the war-torn country, arriving in Kyiv on Monday morning.

“As the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm our unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Biden said.

“Today, in Kyiv, I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine. I will announce another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he continued. “And I will share that later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine. Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support — and that support will endure.”

Biden added: “I also look forward to traveling on to Poland to meet President Duda and the leaders of our Eastern Flank Allies, as well as deliver remarks on how the United States will continue to rally the world to support the people of Ukraine and the core values of human rights and dignity in the UN Charter that unite us worldwide.”

Feb 20, 5:21 AM EST
Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, arriving in Kyiv as Washington signals its ongoing support ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Biden’s visit came ahead of a planned meeting with NATO allies in Poland. He is expected to give a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw on Tuesday evening to offer an appraisal of international support during the first year of the war and to address “how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement earlier this month.

Biden also plans to meet in Poland with leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of eastern NATO allies formed in 2015 in response to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a dramatic visit to the United States in December, his first known international trip since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., before addressing members of U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill.

Feb 19, 1:03 PM EST
Russia planning nuclear exercises to disrupt Biden’s Europe visit, Ukrainian military says

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has accused Russia of planning to stage “large-scale nuclear exercises” to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe next week.

The GUR said Russia is preparing for test launches of nuclear capable missiles from land and sea, the agency said in a statement Sunday on its official Telegram channel.

The GUR said a nuclear armed submarine has been placed on the “highest level” of combat readiness and that strategic bombers have been moved to a base in Tambov, Russia.

The agency claimed the exercises are intended disrupt President Joe Biden’s European trip.

“Such actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, in particular, are an attempt to hinder Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, which is scheduled for February 20-22, through direct nuclear blackmail and to weaken international support for Ukraine,” the GUR statement said.

– ABC News’ Patrick Reevell

Feb 18, 11:41 AM EST
Harris meets with British, Finnish, Swedish PMs

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the British, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers before departing Munich on Saturday.

Amid concerns in Europe that Republican lawmakers could dampen U.S. aid to Ukraine, the Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, thanked Harris for saying U.S. support for Ukraine would persevere domestic political differences.

Both Marin and Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, spoke with hope about joining NATO. But in recent days, there have been signals from NATO, the Finnish and the Swedish that perhaps they will not join at the same time as they had hoped due to continued Turkish objections over Swedish membership.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 17, 3:41 PM EST
White House previews Biden trip to Poland

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby provided a preview Friday of President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Poland, saying the president’s main message will be continued support from the United States in the face of Russian aggression.

“On Tuesday evening, local time, President Biden will deliver remarks in Warsaw on how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy. President Biden will make it clear that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine, as you’ve heard him say many times, for as long as it takes,” Kirby said of Biden’s major planned address.

“As we approach the one-year mark since this invasion, we can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering and our alliances and our international coalition in support of Ukraine remain stronger than ever,” he added.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda. On Wednesday, he’ll meet with leaders from the so-called Bucharest Nine –Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — which are nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

Kirby was asked about Biden meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or traveling anywhere besides Warsaw, like the border town of Rzeszow, but he shot down both ideas.

“There is no meeting with President Zelenskyy scheduled for the trip right now,” he said. “Right now, the trip is going to be in Warsaw.”

Feb 17, 2:11 PM EST
Harris meets allies amid pressure over Ukraine aid

Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of France and Germany Friday as part of a U.S. diplomatic push in Munich to show strong, continued support for Ukraine.

Questions lingering over the leaders in Munich include how long the West can maintain its support for Ukraine –- amid declining public and political support at home –- and how Ukraine will withstand the expected Russian offensive.

A White House official said that at the meetings, the vice president planned to “recognize the courage and resilience shown by the people of Ukraine; reaffirm the support of American people for Ukraine; commend the international community on the historic actions taken since February 2022; celebrate Transatlantic unity and clarity of purpose; reaffirm our security commitments to our European allies; and condemn Russia’s continued illegal and brutal actions while calling for accountability and justice.”

She also planned to discuss “relations with China and actions to address the climate crisis,” the official said.

Feb 17, 1:20 PM EST
Belarus ready to make Russian attack planes, president says at meeting with Putin

Belarus is ready to make Russian attack planes, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“Belarus has been making up to a thousand components for MC-21 and Superjet 100 planes. There used to be repair plants, but now they also make component parts,” Lukashenko said.

“We are even ready to make it in Belarus with a little support from Russia,” Lukashenko said.

Feb 16, 5:28 PM EST
Ukrainian vice prime minister tells remaining civilians in Bakhmut to evacuate

Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on the roughly 6,000 civilians still in Bakhmut to evacuate “immediately.”

Officials said they don’t want the people still in the city to put themselves and their children at risk and don’t want them to interfere with the Ukrainian army. Five civilians were killed and nine others were injured on Thursday, according to the vice prime minister.

“Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that 6,000 civilians are still working there,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 3:25 PM EST
Belarus will fight alongside Russia if it is attacked, president warns

Belarus would only join the war in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russia, if it is attacked, President Alexander Lukashenko told state-run Belta news agency.

“We don’t want a war. And in no case are we going to send our troops into the territory of Ukraine. Unless you commit aggression against the territory of Belarus from there. Here is my answer. It was given a long time ago,” Lukashenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Lukashenko’s threat in an interview with the BBC.

“I hope [Belarus] won’t join [the war],” he said. “If it does, we will fight and we will survive.”

Allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging post for an attack again would be a “huge mistake,” he added.

Russian forces launched part of their full-scale invasion from Belarus 12 months ago. They drove south toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, but were fought back and made to retreat within weeks, after suffering heavy casualties.

Lukashenko is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova

Feb 16, 3:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy rules out territorial deal with Putin in BBC interview

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out giving up any of his country’s territory in a potential peace deal with Russia.

In a BBC interview to mark a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion, he warned conceding land would mean Russia could “keep coming back,” while Western weapons would bring peace closer.

However, he does believe Ukrainian forces can keep resisting Russia’s advance until they are able to launch a counteroffensive — although he repeated his calls for more military aid from the West.

“Of course, modern weapons speed up peace. Weapons are the only language Russia understands,” Zelensky told the BBC.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 16, 12:13 AM EST
Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainians shoot down eight Russian missiles: Officials

An infrastructure object was hit in Lviv in the early morning hours of Thursday, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, said on Telegram.

There were no casualties, and the fire from the impact has since been put out, Kozytskyi said.

Six Kalibr missiles were also shot down over the Mykolaiv region, and two Kalibr missiles were shot down over the Kherson region overnight, Odesa Military Administration spokesman Serhii Bratchuk posted on Telegram.

All eight of the missiles were fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea, Bratchuk said in the post.

Feb 15, 2:48 PM EST
6 ‘reconnaissance’ balloons shot down over Kyiv

Authorities in Kyiv are investigating who owns six balloons that were in Ukraine’s airspace and what the balloons were doing over Kyiv. The balloons were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.

After a preliminary assessment, authorities think the balloons had intelligence gathering equipment.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House

White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”

“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”

He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.

The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.

“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander

Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.

“This help is crucial for us,” he said.

Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.

“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone

Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson

Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine

Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.

“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.

Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.

“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.

-ABC News’ Will Gretsky

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TEMPI, Greece) — At least 57 people were killed and more than 80 others were injured in a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train in Greece late Tuesday, which officials said was mainly due to human error.

The crash occurred shortly before midnight in the town of Tempi along the Athens-Thessaloniki route at the entrance to the Vale of Tempe, a tree-lined gorge that separates the northern Greek regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. The two trains were running toward each other on the same track and the force of the high-speed collision derailed multiple cars, with some bursting into flames, according to Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service.

The passenger train was traveling at a speed of about 103 miles per hour when it collided with the freight train, according to the Hellenic Fire Service. Greek state TV reported that the two trains were running on the same line for 12 minutes, or a distance of about 11 miles.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday that the incident was “mainly due to tragic human error.”

About 350 people were on board the northbound passenger train, which was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, according to the Greek rail operator Hellenic Train.

Roubini Leontari, chief coroner of the general hospital in the nearby city of Larissa, told Greek state TV that the majority of those killed were between the ages of 20 and 30 years old

At least 150 firefighters, including some from specialized units, and 40 ambulances responded to the scene with the assistance of 32 police officers and 15 patrol vehicles, according to the Hellenic Fire Service. The next morning, rescuers were still searching for survivors in the smoking wreckage, using cranes to lift the derailed carriages. Their efforts were initially focused on the first two cars, which had “overturned” and were “the most difficult to extricate,” a Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson said in a statement early Wednesday.

The impact of the collision left the passenger train’s restaurant car on top of two other cars. A blaze broke out in that carriage, with temperatures reaching as high as 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 degrees Fahrenheit), which “makes it difficult to identify the people inside,” the Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

The search and rescue operation at the site of the train collision will continue overnight into Thursday, according to the Hellenic Fire Service. Rescuers “will continue” the search “until the last stone is turned,” a Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday evening.

A 59-year-old Greek citizen has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the deadly crash, according to Greece’s Hellenic Police.

Meanwhile, authorities are still working to identify the dead, whose bodies were taken to the general hospital in the nearby city of Larissa, a Hellenic Police spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

As for the injured, 72 remain hospitalized, including six in critical condition, while the rest have been treated and released, according to the Hellenic Fire Service.

The Greek government has declared three days of national mourning in the wake of the tragedy.

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said in a video statement on Wednesday that the government “will stand by the families of the victims” and “work so that this ‘never again’ that I heard in Larissa will not be a hollow word.”

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price offered condolences to the people of Greece during Wednesday’s press briefing in Washington, D.C.

“As we continue to see the death toll rise, I want to offer our sincere condolences to the people of Greece for the tragic loss of life in the train collision that happened overnight in the town of Tempi,” Price said. “The United States stands with our friend Greece, and we commend the incredible dedication of first responders who are working tirelessly to save lives and attend to the injured.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Greek Foreign Minister Nikolaos Dendias on Wednesday, extending condolences and said the United States stands with the people of Greece.

Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced his resignation on Wednesday after visiting the crash site in Tempi, saying he felt it was his “duty” to do so “as a minimum sign of respect” to the victims.

“When something this tragic happens, it is impossible to go on as if it didn’t happen,” Karamanlis wrote in a post on Facebook. “This is called political responsibility.”

Mitsotakis said he has appointed a new interim transport minister, George Gerapetritis, to hold the office until national elections. The prime minister asked Gerapetritis to establish an “independent and non-partisan committee of experts” to investigate the cause of the accident and investigate the “long-standing delays” in the implementation of railway projects.

Meanwhile, Mitsotakis said two rail executives have resigned: Spyros Pateras, president of the Hellenic Railways Association, and Christos Vinis, president and managing director of the national railway subsidiary ERGOSE.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Daphne Tolis contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CAIRO) — A nine-meter long hidden passageway was discovered inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Egyptian tourism and antiquities minister announced on Thursday.

The function of corridor inside the Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the Great Pyramids of Giza, was not immediately known but officials said it could lead to further discoveries.

The finding was made by researchers from the Scan Pyramid project, an international mission that since 2015 has been using modern methods — including scanners and infrared thermography — to probe the internal structure of the pyramid.

The gabled ceiling of the secret tunnel suggests it was built to lighten the load on the structure, Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities told reporters at the pyramid site.

“But a big question mark hangs over whether this corridor was created to relieve the weight on the [main] entrance or lighten the load on a space yet to be discovered,” he added. “Scanning work will continue to uncover more secrets.”

The Great Pyramid is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. It was built as a royal tomb some 4,500 years ago during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu.

Egypt aims to tap into new ancient discoveries to draw in tourists, a major source of foreign currency and jobs that has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as political instability following the 2011 revolution.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The deep blue waters, shimmering cliffs and palm tree-lined beaches of Easter Island face a growing threat: plastic.

“So now there are some things that belonged to this beach. For example, the rock belonged to this beach. The shell belonged to this beach. But the plastic, no,” said Rapa Nui native Ludo Tuki Burns.

Burns has spent most of his life preserving the island.

He organizes regular beach clean-ups at places suc as Anakena Beach, where he took ABC News’ Good Morning America to get a closer look.

“The plastic is going to float and then with this tool you are going to take [it out of the water],” said Burns. “And so you will take only the plastic.”

Ivan Hinojosa is a marine biologist who is studying plastic pollution on Easter Island. He estimates a ton of plastic washes ashore each month.

Below the surface Hinojosa hunts for microplastics — plastic that has since degraded in the ocean and carried by strong currents from all over the world.

“I can distinguish at least five different types of plastic here just with my eye, but in the microscope we’re going to find more,” said Hinojosa.

Degrading plastics also release greenhouse gasses that can interfere with the ocean’s ability to store carbon. It’s estimated that degrading plastic in the ocean releases 76 metric tons of methane per year, contributing to climate change, according to a study.

Although barely noticeable by the human eye, microplastics can take their toll through food. A study found that 80% of bait fish used to catch local tuna contain microplastics in their stomachs.

“For example, the plastic attracts all the chemicals that are in the water. So you have a higher concentration of toxins in the plastics,” said Hinojosa. “So that when the animals eat them, they’re also [eating] plastic and some poison chemicals.”

Despite the deluge, the local community is determined to fight back on behalf of future generations. Burns said when things are thrown away, they don’t just disappear. All trash ends up somewhere.

“Well, my message is that we are here in the middle of the Pacific and we receive all the things you think don’t matter. We receive it,” he said. “I believe that we can make a change.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Two survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre became Ghanaian citizens, the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, Inc. announced on Tuesday.

Viola Ford Fletcher, 108, and Hughes Van Ellis, 102, are the oldest African Americans to be granted citizenship in Ghana.

“The Justice for Greenwood Foundation was proud to stand in solidarity with the survivors, celebrating their resilience and their contribution to the history of Black Oklahoma,” the organization wrote on Facebook.

A mob of white vigilantes destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, known at the time as “Black Wall Street” due to its wealth and successful business enterprises, in 1921. The racist violence killed at least 300 people, wounded thousands and destroyed some 35 acres of commercial and residential property.

Fletcher and Ellis are two of three living survivors, with Fletcher being the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Ellis and Fletcher, alongside the third survivor Lessie Benningfield Randle, sued Tulsa and the local government in 2021 for a reparations fund.

In May, an Oklahoma judge ruled that the lawsuit could move forward.

Some officials are hesitant to pay monetary reparations to the victims and their families seeking restitution.

“I am not opposed to cash payments to descendants and the victims. It’s where the money comes from that for me is important,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, who led the effort to help find missing Tulsa victims, told ABC News last year, before adding that he is ”opposed to levying a tax on this generation of Tulsans who are at no fault.”

Fletcher told ABC News last year that she and her family never returned to Tulsa after they fled the night of May 31, 1921. Her home had been ravaged by fire, leaving her and hundreds of others without any of their possessions and livelihoods.

“There wasn’t anything to come back to,” she told ABC News last year.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad) — After surviving on ketchup while lost at sea for weeks, Elvis Francois said he is hoping a ketchup company’s social media search for him can lead to easier days ahead.

“I’m kind of stressed out,” Francois told ABC News, from Paix Bouche, a village located in the northern part of Dominica.

Francois said he had just finished a virtual meeting with officials from The Kraft Heinz Company, the maker of Heinz ketchup.

“They say they’re going to organize, to see how I could get something,” Francois said.

The company just days earlier sent out a social media SOS, with the hashtag #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy, trying to find him.

Francois, a 47-year-old Dominican native had spent 24 days drifting in the Caribbean Sea.

That drift began on a December day, as Francois was repairing his boat at a port in Saint Martin. While drifting, he said he ate ketchup three times a day. Seaweed and sea water also became part of his diet to stay alive.

“If I didn’t have those things I wouldn’t have made it,” Francois told ABC News. “At a certain time I had kind of given up, I had no hope.”

A plane spotted Francois in waters off the northen tip of Colombia. Pilots notified Colombian authorities, who then radioed a large cargo ship.

After he was rescued, authorities sent him back to Dominica. A fire had destroyed Francois’ home in the fishing village of Anse De Mai, Dominica, a year ago. He said he lost everything, and left the island in search of a better life. He ended up in Saint Martin.

He now sleeps in what’s left of his burned-down house.

“I just blocked up a side, and that’s how I’m living for the time,” Francois said.

“Trying to go in the market, and see if I could sell produce, but after a year there’s nothing much in the soil,” he added.

Heinz’s social media search ended after Dominican news outlet EmoNews was able to track down Francois.

“Heinz was able to contact Elvis and discuss the best way to help support him and his family,” said a Kraft Heinz spokesperson, Jenna Thornton. “Heinz and Elvis are working out the logistical details of gifting him his new boat,” she said.

Francois told ABC News he’s hoping the helping hand from the American company comes soon, and that he needs a financial lifeline to survive now that he’s back on land.

“There’s a lot of other things I need, because for the moment, I’m at zero,” he said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PUNO, Peru) — A man stopped for drinking in a park in Peru was found to be in possession of more than just a container of alcohol.

Juan Cesar Bermejo, 26, had a 600 to 800-year-old mummy in a cooler bag, authorities in the South American nation told ABC News.

Bermejo, a food delivery man, was allegedly showing off the mummy to two friends in the park in the southern city of Puno on Saturday, the Peruvian National Police said.

“I take care of her and she takes care of me,” Bermejo allegedly told police to justify the presence of the mummified corpse in his bag.

Police say Bermejo was on the job at the time he was stopped and searched.

According to police, Bermejo said he even named the mummy “Juanita” and called her his “spiritual friend.”

But authorities say the mummy is believed to be that of a male. Its now in possession of Peru’s ministry of culture, authorities said this week.

It’s unclear how the man came to be in possession of the mummy. Mummification was a common practice among several cultures in Peru before the arrival of Spanish conquistadores in the 16th Century. In November 2021, archeologists in Peru discovered a mummy believed to be up to 1,200 years old in a underground tomb.

Bermejo has been charged with illegal possession of historical patrimony and could face up to 5 years in jail.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TEMPI, Greece) — At least 43 people were killed and more than 80 others injured in a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train in Greece late Tuesday, in what was mainly due to human error, officials said.

The two trains that crashed into one another were running on the same line for 12 minutes, and a distance of about 11 miles, Greek state TV said Wednesday.

The majority of those killed were between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, Roubini Leontari, the chief coroner of the general hospital in Larissa, Greece, told Greek state TV.

The passenger train was traveling at a speed of about 103 mph when it hit the freight train, according to the Greek Fire Service.

The crash occurred shortly before midnight in the town of Tempi along the Athens-Thessaloniki route at the entrance to the Vale of Tempe, a tree-lined gorge that separates the northern Greek regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. The two trains were running toward each other on the same track and the force of the high-speed collision derailed multiple cars, with some bursting into flames, according to Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in remarks Wednesday that the train collision was “mainly due to tragic human error.”

About 350 people were on board the northbound passenger train, which was traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki, according to the Greek rail operator Hellenic Train.

At least 150 firefighters, including some from specialized units, and 40 ambulances responded to the scene with the assistance of 32 police officers and 15 patrol vehicles, according to the Hellenic Fire Service.

The next morning, rescuers were still searching for survivors in the smoking wreckage, using cranes to lift the derailed carriages. Their efforts were initially focused on the first two cars, which had “overturned” and were “the most difficult to extricate,” a Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson said in a statement early Wednesday.

The impact of the collision left the passenger train’s restaurant car on top of two other cars. A blaze broke out in that carriage, with temperatures reaching as high as 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 degrees Fahrenheit), which “makes it difficult to identify the people inside,” the Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

The search and rescue operation at the site of the train collision will continue overnight, the Greek Fire Service said in a statement late Wednesday.

The fire servicemen will continue the search “until the last stone is turned,” the Greek Fire Service said.

A 59-year-old Greek citizen has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the deadly crash, according to Greece’s Hellenic Police.

Meanwhile, authorities are still working to identify the dead, whose bodies were taken to the general hospital in the nearby city of Larissa, a Hellenic Police spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

As for the injured, 72 remain hospitalized, including six in critical condition, while the rest have been treated and released, according to the Hellenic Fire Service.

The Greek government has declared three days of national mourning in the wake of the tragedy.

Greece “will stand by the families of the victims” and “work so that this ‘never again’ that I heard in Larissa will not be a hollow word,” Prime Minister Mitsotakis said in a short video address posted on his official Twitter account Wednesday.

Greek Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced his resignation on Wednesday after visiting the crash site in Tempi, saying he felt it was his “duty” to do so “as a minimum sign of respect” to the victims.

“When something this tragic happens, it is impossible to go on as if it didn’t happen,” Karamanlis wrote in a post on Facebook. “This is called political responsibility.”

Prime Minister Mitsotakis announced he has appointed a new interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, George Gerapetritis, to hold the office until national elections.

Mitsotakis asked the new interim minister to establish an “independent and non-partisan committee of experts” to investigate the cause of the accident and investigate the “long-standing delays” in the implementation of railway projects.

Two more executives also resigned on Wednesday in the wake of the crash, according to Mitsotakis: Spyros Pateras, the president of the Hellenic Railways Association, and Christos Vinis, president and managing director of the national railway subsidiary ERGOSE.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Daphne Tolis contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — A review of ‘Havana syndrome” by the U.S. intelligence community finds it “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary or energy weapon is the cause, officials said Wednesday.

That’s according to a new assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released on Wednesday.

Instead, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement that the events, which are referred to officially as Anomalous Health Incidents, were probably the result of other factors such as “preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses, and environmental factors.”

Haines added that the evidence also did not indicate that a “causal mechanism,” such as a weapon, or a “unique syndrome” brought on the reported symptoms.

The report from ODNI added that confidence in the explanation was “bolstered by fact we identified medical, environmental and social factors that plausibly can explain many AHIs reported by U.S. officials,” but that the level of confidence varied across agencies.

“Needless to say, these findings do not call into question the very real experiences and symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported,” Haines said. “We are sincerely grateful to those who came forward, as it helped to not only shape our response, but identify areas where we need to improve our medical and counterintelligence protocols, which remains an ongoing process.”

In a statement of his own, CIA director William Burns noted the assessment was the product of “more than two years of rigorous, painstaking collection, investigative work, and analysis” and “one of the largest and most intensive” in the agency’s history.

But there are still many unanswered questions, and not everyone is pleased with what they called the limited information declassified to support the conclusion.

Mark Zaid, an attorney whose firm represents dozens of AHI victims, said in a statement to ABC News that the assessment “lacks transparency,” adding, “we continue to question the accuracy of the alleged findings.”

“Until the shrouds of secrecy are lifted and the analysis that led to today’s assertions are available and subject to proper challenge, the alleged conclusions are substantively worthless,” he said. “But the damage it has caused to the morale of the victims, particularly by deflecting from the government’s failure to evaluate all the evidence, is real and must be condemned.”

While this assessment is the result of the extensive known effort conducted by the government to identify the cause of strange symptoms that have plagued hundreds of diplomats, intelligence officers, and other U.S. personnel serving abroad, previous inquires have come to similar conclusions.

A comprehensive review conducted by the CIA and released in January found it was unlikely that a foreign power was behind most of the incidents, but a later interagency report found that some of the cases were likely brought on by directed energy or acoustic devices, suggesting they were the result of deliberate attacks.

“Havana syndrome” was first reported in late 2016 by State Department personnel stationed in the Cuban capital, but soon, diplomats stationed around the world began experiencing similar, unexplained neurological symptoms.

Symptoms are said to vary in type and severity, but often are reported to include the sudden onset of severe headaches, difficulty concentrating, auditory disturbances, and memory loss.

The initial incidents led to increased strain on the already fraught ties between the U.S. and Cuba, and eventually the American embassy was shuddered during the Trump administration.

Earlier this year, the State Department said it was reopening processing for all immigrant visa categories at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba and increasing its staffing numbers, even though Havana Syndrome was still a poorly understood threat.

“The fact that we have been able to augment our staffing posture at our embassy in Havana is a signal that we are confident in our ability to mitigate the risks, confident in our ability to take prudent steps to protect our people. But this is something we evaluate and reevaluate on a virtually a daily basis,” department spokesperson Ned Price said at the time. “Diplomacy is never a risk-free endeavor.”

In September 2022, the State Department announced it had started approving payments for victims of the anomalous health incidents in accordance with the HAVANA Act — the unanimously passed bill that authorizes agencies to compensate “personnel who incur brain injuries from hostilities while on assignment.”

While plans vary across the federal government, the State Department said in June 2022 that it would provide eligible victims a one-time, non-taxable, lump sum of between $140,475 and $187,300. The total would depend on whether the requestor had reemployment potential, if they required a full-time caregiver for activities of daily living, and other factors.

To qualify, a document published by the State Department says applicants must have sustained “an acute injury to the brain such as, but not limited to, a concussion, penetrating injury, or as the consequence of an event that leads to permanent alterations in brain function,” a medical diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury, or the acute onset of new persistent, disabling neurologic symptoms.

The injury also must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2016, and it must have happened while the impacted person or the victim’s direct family member was working for the department.

“Because of the varied symptoms and still-nascent understanding of how to test or otherwise screen for AHI impacts, the Department sought to establish a standard that it believes will be broadly inclusive of the types of injuries that have been reported by covered individuals to date,” the document states.

ABC News’ Cindy Smith contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.