Today marks the 7th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as reports detail increased shelling of civilian areas and a 64-km-long Russian military convoy continues towards Kyiv.
Anti-aircraft alarms went off this morning in several Ukrainian towns and regions, including Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Sumy, with casualties reported in Zhytomyr, Mariupol, and Kharkiv, where 21 people were reported killed and more than 110 wounded.
Russia has not made any significant territorial gains in the last 24 hours, capturing only small towns such as Trościaniec in the Sumy region and a port and train station in Kherson. Attacks on military hospitals in Mariupol and Kharkiv were also reported overnight, with the police and security service headquarters and the University of Vasyl Karazin in Kharkiv damaged by bombing.
According to Ukrainian estimates, Russia has already lost more soldiers (5,300) in the invasion of Ukraine than in the First Chechen war of 1994-1996.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Poland on Tuesday for talks with President Andrzej Duda and to meet with NATO troops supporting the eastern flank of the Alliance.
During a press conference after the meeting at the Tactical Air Base in Łask, central Poland, Stoltenberg called out Vladimir Putin for „shatter[ing] peace in Europe” and condemned „the unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine.” He highlighted NATO’s role as a defensive organization providing military support and equipment, such as anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine. He went on to point out that „NATO does not want to be part of this conflict, which is why we do not intend to send any troops to Ukraine or planes to Ukrainian airspace.”
Stoltenberg’s words were echoed by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who told reporters that Poland was „not sending any jets to Ukraine because it would mean military interference in the conflict that is taking place there.”
Duda added that Poland was supporting Ukraine with extensive humanitarian aid and military supplies.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland, PAP
Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has indicated additional Western sanctions are in store for Russia in response to its intensifying military efforts in Ukraine.
„What has been achieved so far indicates that if the war were to last longer, the scope of sanctions would increase,” Rau said after holding talks with his German and French counterparts in the city of Łódź yesterday.
Rau hosted the „Weimer Triangle” format meeting in his role as Poland’s top diplomat and chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Current economic sanctions on Russia, including freezing assets of the Russian Central Bank and blocking access to the SWIFT global payments system, have already sent shock waves across the Russian economy. The ruble’s value has plummeted over 30% since sanctions came into force, while the Moscow Stock Exchange remains closed for the third day in a row.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland, The Guardian
The Polish government recently launched a dedicated website to coordinate aid to Ukraine and assist refugees who have fled across the border into Poland.
The pomagamukrainie.gov.pl website contains information in Ukrainian, Polish and English for those seeking help and those seeking to provide assistance.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister, more than 327,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine since Russia invaded last Thursday. Officials added that all refugees were being admitted to Poland „regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.”
The remarks came in response to reports of discrimination against non-Ukrainian and non-European nationals attempting to cross the border into Poland. During a press conference yesterday, Filippo Grandi, the UN’s high commissioner for refugees, confirmed „there has been a different treatment” going on to clarify that „our observation is that these are not state policies – but there are instances which it has happened.”
The „problems were on the Ukrainian side,” according to Piotr Bystrianin, head of the refugee charity Fundacja Ocalenie. Another Polish nonprofit, Interkulturalni, has also sent representatives to the border and is seeking to gather information on the scope of the situation.
According to the International Organization for Migration, Ukraine is home to an estimated 470 million foreign nationals, including migrant workers and students studying at Ukrainian universities.
Source: Radio Poland, New York Times
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny with very little chance of rain and light winds from the northwest. Temperatures will be slightly warmer than yesterday, with a high around 7°C, or 44°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -4°C or 25°F. Storm clouds are due to arrive tomorrow evening, with a chance for rain or snow overnight on Thursday.
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