An additional 100 refugees from Afghanistan arrived in Warsaw yesterday morning as the push to evacuate more Afghan civilians intensifies across Europe and the United States.
Over 350 people have been airlifted out of Afghanistan to Poland so far, according to Polish deputy foreign minister Marcin Przydacz. Similar to prior flights, the evacuees arriving yesterday included people who worked for Poland’s diplomatic mission and military contingent.

According to NATO reports, over 18,000 people have been airlifted out of Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the capital of Kabul a week ago. Polish officials have announced that future evacuation flights will be contingent upon the stability of the political situation in Kabul.

Source: Radio Poland

Twenty-four Afghan migrants have been stranded for nearly two weeks on the Polish-Belarusian border near the village of Usnarz Górny.

According to social media posts by the Polish Border Guard, the group includes twenty men and four women. Previous reports listed the number at 32, but the number decreased after some migrants were taken away, and a few others were reportedly brought in by Belarusian officials.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters on Wednesday that „a sovereign state protects its territory,” and the refugees were „being used” by Belarus’ strongman President Alexander Lukashenko. Recent weeks have seen a surge in illegal attempts to enter Poland from Belarus, with more than 2,000 people warded off or detained in August.

Local residents, volunteers, and border guards have reportedly been providing food and water to the stranded migrants for several days. Various MPs, journalists, and human rights activists have called for the Polish government to allow members of the group to apply for asylum in Poland, with Rzeczpospolita, Editor-in-Chief Boguslaw Chrabota describing the situation as a chance for Poland to „show how different we are from… Minsk.”

Source: France24, Radio Poland, PAP

Polish President Andrzej Duda is on a three-day visit to Ukraine to attend the inaugural Crimean Platform summit and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Over 40 countries and regional organizations, including the United States, Turkey, and the EU, are set to attend the Crimean Platform in Kyiv today, an international summit called by Ukraine to build up pressure on Russia over the illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Following the summit, President Duda will attend a meeting with representatives of the Polish community living in Ukraine. On Tuesday, he will meet with President Zelensky to hold bilateral talks and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence in Kyiv’s Constitution Square.

Poland’s authorities have described the upcoming visit as an opportunity to express the country’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Source: AP, Radio Poland

Sopot residents and guests celebrated a 22-year-old tradition yesterday by racing to swim around the Sopot pier in the III Final Swimming Race Around the Molo 2021.

Roughly 160 participants each swam 1200 meters in a series of swimming races to commemorate the late Jacek Starościak, the former Gdańsk mayor and prominent Polish diplomat who passed away in May of this year.

The youngest participants of the race were 10-year-old Zuzanna Gacka from Gdynia and 10-year-old Valeria Moiseienko from Bielsko Biała. In the men’s category, Filip Zaborowski from Sopot beat out renowned Polish champion Szymon Kapała with a time of 15.06, while Karolina Szalast from Rumia won the women’s division with a time of 17.34.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and cool, with winds coming in from the northeast and little to no chance of rain. Temperatures will peak around a high of 19°C, or 67°F, dropping to an overnight low of 14°C or 58°F. A similar mix of cool weather, sun, and clouds is expected throughout the week, with a chance for rain tomorrow morning.