Tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, primarily women and children, have crossed into Poland following the ongoing Russian invasion and attacks on the cities of Kharkiv and Kyiv.
A line of cars at the border crossing near Medyka stretched for 10-20 kilometers, with many of those fleeing Ukraine forced to wait long hours, often overnight, before being able to cross into Poland.
Border crossings between Poland and Ukraine remain open to rail, vehicle, and pedestrian traffic, with volunteers at reception centers offering warm food, medical care, and assistance in finding transportation and shelter in Poland and elsewhere in Europe.
The incoming refugees are mainly women and children, as all Ukrainian men between 18-60 have been summoned for military duty and are not allowed to leave Ukraine. The United Nations has estimated that between 1-3 million Ukrainians may be forced to leave their country in the coming days, with the vast majority headed to Poland.
According to a post on Twitter, since the start of the invasion of Ukraine last Thursday (February 24), Polish Border Guard officers have cleared 187,800 people to enter Poland, with 77, 300 expected to remain in the country.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters
The European Union and other Western allies issued a joint statement on Saturday announcing their intent to block certain Russian banks from using the SWIFT international payment system.
The move would restrict Moscow from accessing some $630 billion in existing foreign currency reserves in Russia’s central bank, severely limiting the country’s ability to prop of the rapidly devaluing rouble and do business internationally.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the European Commission joined France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States in promising to „hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin.”
According to Reuters, the group of allies also promised to pursue the elimination of the so-called „golden passport” scheme in which wealthy Russian citizens pay to obtain residency and citizenship in countries like Malta, allowing them to skirt financial sanctions and gain access to Western financial systems.
The partners also laid out plans to build a task force to „identify, hunt down, and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian companies and oligarchs, their yachts, their mansions, and any ill-gotten gains that we can find and freeze.”
A virtual meeting of EU Foreign Ministers is set for Sunday evening, with additional sanctions expected to be announced early in the week.
Source: Reuters, PAP
In addition to sanctions, cultural and sporting organizations are also taking steps to penalize the Russian government for its actions in Ukraine.
Poland’s national football team announced yesterday that they will refuse to play Russia in their 2022 World Cup play-off in Moscow on March 24.
In a tweet on Saturday, the head of Poland’s Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, declared, „the time for talking is over. It is time to act…in light of the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, the Polish national team is not going to play a match against the Russian Republic.”
Star striker and team captain Robert Lewandowski praised the decision, pointing out that while” Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this… we cannot pretend that nothing is happening.” Lewandowski went on call „for all people who value freedom and peace” to express „solidarity with the victims of the military aggression in Ukraine.”
The national teams of Sweden and the Czech Republic have joined Poland and issued statements that they will also refuse to play against the Russian national team in Russia.
The three federations issued a joint statement on Thursday urging FIFA to strip Russia of the right to host World Cup playoffs in March in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Radio Poland
Cities across Poland are preparing to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers, traditionally observed on March 1.
Events will kick off today in Trójmiasto with the March of the Cursed Soldiers scheduled to begin at 13:30 in front of the Jan III Sobieski monument near Targ Drzewny in Gdańsk. A similar march in Gdynia will set off at 15:30 from Gdynia City Hall.
The day’s events will culminate in a commemorative concert featuring rapper „Tadek” or Tadeusz Polkowski of the hip-hop group Firma, who will perform live at Radio Gdańsk starting at 19:00.
The concert will be broadcast here on Radio Gdańsk, on our website at www.radiogdansk.pl, and on the Radio Gdańsk Facebook page.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny and cold, with very little chance of rain and a slight breeze from the northwest. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a high around 3°C, or 37°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -3°C or 27°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain returning at the end of the week.
Elizabeth Peck/aKa
