photo: Reto Klar / Deutsche Bahn AG/Portraits of Courage: DB's New Exhibition Pays Tribute to the Ukrainian Railway Employees in Wartime
"Lifeline Railway - Ukrainian Railway Workers at War" is the name of the new photo exhibition of Deutsche Bahn, which was opened at Berlin Central Station by DB CEO Dr Richard Lutz together with the Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev, Susanne Henckel, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport, and Julia Becker, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Publisher of FUNKE Mediengruppe.
With the exhibition, DB pays tribute to the employees of the Ukrainian Railways. Since the beginning of the Russian war 18 months ago, they have been braving the daily routine of war in Ukraine and maintaining mobility and supplies.
The photo exhibition will be displayed at Berlin Central Station until September 10, 2023. It will then be shown at a further five stations in Essen, Hamburg-Altona, Leipzig, Braunschweig, and Nuremberg between September 13, 2023, and the end of January 2024.
Nineteen pictures by photographer Reto Klar and journalist Jan Jessen show the life of railway workers during the war. In March 2023, the two reporters accompanied, among others, an engine driver, two maintenance workers, and a track worker, who are repeatedly the target of Russian attacks.
Dr Richard Lutz, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Bahn AG, says, "The railway is indispensable. It ensures supplies, brings aid, and makes escape possible, and is thus a lifeline for millions of people. DB stands firmly by the side of the people from Ukraine and Ukrzaliznytsia. Ukrzaliznytsia has become an important part of the European railway family."
"The Ukrainian Railways became the road of life. And the evacuation trains became the lifeline for millions of people. During Russia's major offensive against Ukraine, Ukrainian Railways evacuated 3.8 million people, including children, 100,000 animals and transported more than 200,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid across the country," comments Oleksii Makeiev, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Susanne Henckel, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport, adds, "The pictures exhibited here show the horrors of the war raging in the middle of Europe. But they also show the incredible courage and perseverance with which the Ukrainian railwaymen and women keep the country mobile and maintain supplies. For us, it is clear. We will support Ukraine for as long as necessary."
Julia Becker, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Publisher of FUNKE Mediengruppe: "Just as the railway is a lifeline for Ukraine, independent reporting is the lifeblood of free thinking. The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine is also a war for democratic values and freedom of speech: nothing must cut people off from their fundamental right to non-partisan information."
Source: Deutsche Bahn