Ukraine-Russia war: On the front line with Ukrainian troops as they try to hold back the Russian tide
You cannot see the Russians from the forest floor, but you certainly hear them in the stands of pine that grow north of the city of Kupyansk.
The Ukrainian President, Volodymr Zelenskyy warned that their soldiers were “concentrating maximum reserves” in area.
It is a challenge that the members of Ukraine’s 32nd Brigade, who are charged with defending the territory, would struggle to match.
They took us to a command centre located a few kilometres from the front and we found a series of long faces and hard stares in their cramped, underground cabin.
Ukraine-Russia war latest updates
“They’re storming us, breaching the barbed wire so they can pass right through,” said a tired looking soldier called Sasha.
He told us that the Russians used to assault their positions once or twice a day – but now the attacks are continuous.
Sasha says the Russian attacks are now continuous
Members of the unit also spoke of crippling ammunition shortages.
“When Ukraine fires an artillery shell, how many shells do the Russians send back,” I asked them.
“One to ten,” said one. “Yes, one to ten,” said another.
Drones give the brigade a comprehensive view of the forest but sometimes they work to highlight the imbalance.
“They have their aircraft, helicopters, planes, laser bombs, “Grads”. They use everything along our front line,” said Sasha.
The unit only has grenades for a few minutes fighting
President Zelenskyy is desperate to reset – and rearm – the Ukrainian military and has warned that an “artificial deficit” of weapons is giving Russia the space to attack.
Leading US military officials agree, insisting the tide could turn to Putin’s “significant advantage”, with $60bn of US funding stalled by supporters of former President Donald Trump in Congress.
Zelenskyy’s point was made for him when we found members of an anti-tank unit struggling to make their one and only rocket launcher work.
Screwdrivers and a hammer were deployed to bring the Soviet-era bazooka to life.
Unit commander ‘August’ says they are running out of ammunition
The commander, who calls himself ‘August’, said the weapon’s reliability was an issue but the shortage of grenades was a far bigger headache.
“Have you got enough ammunition?” I asked.
“No, not enough. We’ve got enough for 12,13, 15 minutes (of fighting). That’s it.”
“And after 12 minutes, then what?” I asked.
“We’ll take a machine gun and shoot with that,” he responded gloomily.
Eight people have been taken to hospital due to turbulence on a flight to Dublin.
Dublin Airport said six passengers and six crew members on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin were hurt after experiencing turbulence over Turkey.
In a later statement, the airport said all passengers were assessed for injury before getting off the plane and eight were taken to hospital.
Graeme McQueen, a spokesman for DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, told Sky News the aircraft was met by emergency services upon landing shortly before 1pm on Sunday.
Qatar Airways described the injuries sustained by passengers and crew as “minor”.
It said: “[They] are now receiving medical attention… The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
An internal investigation into what happened has now been launched.
Read more:
Is flight turbulence getting worse – and what types are there?
Climate change causing more turbulence – scientists
Earlier this week, in a separate incident, a British man died on a Singapore Airlines flight after extreme turbulence on a Heathrow-Singapore journey.
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Singapore Airlines passenger Josh Silverstone describes ordeal
Turbulence is defined as a sudden change in airflow and wind speed.
It can often be associated with storm clouds, which are usually well forecast and monitored, allowing planes to fly around them, Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said.
Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is much more dangerous as there are no visual signs, such as clouds.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
This invisible vertical air movement usually occurs at and above 15,000ft and is mostly linked to the jet stream.
It is unclear what type of turbulence the Qatar Airways flight went through.
World
Papua New Guinea: More than 2,000 people buried alive in landslide – as ‘major destruction’ hampers rescue efforts
More than 2,000 people have been buried by a massive landslide in northern Papua New Guinea, the country’s disaster agency has said.
The landslide levelled the mountainous Kaokalam village in Enga Province – about 370 miles (600km) northwest of the capital Port Moresby.
It hit the Pacific nation at around 3am local time on Friday (6pm on Thursday UK time), and the United Nations had earlier said it estimated 670 people had been killed. Local officials had initially put the number of dead at 100 or more.
People search through a landslide in Yambali village. Pic: Kafuri Yaro/UNDP Papua New Guinea via AP
The Papua New Guinea national disaster centre said the landslide had buried more than 2,000 people.
“The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country,” an official from the national disaster centre said in a letter to the United Nations.
Earlier, Serhan Aktoprak, head of the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration mission on the island nation, said the figure of 670 deaths was based on calculations by local officials that more than 150 homes had been buried. The previous estimate was 60 homes.
“They are estimating that more than 670 people [are] under the soil at the moment,” he said.
More than 4,000 people were likely impacted by the disaster, humanitarian group CARE Australia said earlier.
It said the area was “a place of refuge for those displaced by [nearby] conflicts”.
Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
About six villages were affected by the landslide in the province’s Mulitaka region, according to Australia‘s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Three bodies were pulled from an area where 50 to 60 homes were destroyed. Six people, including a child, were pulled from the rubble alive, the UN’s Papua New Guinea office said.
But hopes of finding more survivors were diminishing.
Villagers use heavy machinery to search through the landslide. Pic: AP
Yambali was among the villages affected. Pic: Mohamud Omer/International Organisation for Migration via AP
The landslide left debris up to eight metres deep across 200 sq km (77 sq miles), cutting off road access, which was making relief efforts difficult. Helicopters were the only way to reach the area.
Survivors searched through tonnes of earth and rubble by hand looking for missing relatives while a first emergency convoy delivered food, water and other provisions on Saturday.
However, Mr Aktoprak added: “Hopes to take the people out alive from the rubble have diminished now.”
In February, at least 26 men were killed in Enga Province in an ambush amid tribal violence that prompted Prime Minister James Marape to give arrest powers to the country’s military.
Mr Marape has said disaster officials, the defence force and the department of works and highways were assisting with relief and recovery efforts.
A damaged house after the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Locals carry their belongings away from the scene of the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Papua New Guinea, with a population of around 10 million, is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cities.
It is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world’s earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.
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In March, the country was hit by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake.
The US and Australia are building closer defence ties with the strategically important nation, while China is also seeking closer security and economic ties.
US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their governments stood ready to help respond to the landslide.
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