US President Joe Biden called Russia’s Vladimir Putin a war criminal on Wednesday amid reports of further atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a speech to the US Congress via video link, appealing for tougher sanctions against Russia, more defensive weapons, and a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Following Zelensky’s powerful address calling on President Biden to be “leader for peace,” Biden pledged an additional USD 800 million in security assistance to Ukraine to help defend itself against Russian attacks.
According to Reuters, the defense aid package includes drones and additional long-range missile anti-aircraft systems. NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Wednesday also promised more arms supplies to assist Ukraine.
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
As the war stretches into its third week, Russian forces continue to target civilian infrastructure in direct violation of international law.
At least one person was killed this morning and three injured after the remains of a downed Russian rocket hit a residential building in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, according to reports by Ukrainian emergency services.
On Tuesday, the US embassy in Kyiv reported that Russian forces had shot dead ten people waiting in line for bread in Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv.
In the besieged southern port of Mariupol, Russian forces bombed a theatre where hundreds of civilians, including children, were sheltering. The death toll is still unknown.
As of Tuesday morning, 97 Ukrainian children had been killed and over 100 injured since the outbreak of the war, according to data from SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine and the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Polish president Andrzej Duda appealed directly to the international community yesterday to help Poland deal with a wave of refugees pouring in from Ukraine.
Duda made the appeal after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara yesterday. In a joint press conference, the Polish president appealed to the „whole international community” to help Poland, warning that “if we don’t receive international support, we’ll be in a very difficult predicament.”
Duda then thanked Erdogan for sharing Turkey’s experience of receiving millions of refugees escaping from war-ravaged Syria.
Duda also thanked individuals and charities from Poland and around the world for welcoming refugees from Ukraine and providing them with various forms of support.
Referring to Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine, the Polish president said he hoped the international community would help rebuild Ukraine after the war, calling it “our big task, the task of the entire honest, democratic world….”
As of this morning, the Polish Border Guard has admitted 1.95 million people since the invasion of Ukraine began three weeks ago.
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk, Straż Graniczna
Poczta Polska announced this week that it would be offering free SIM cards to Ukrainian refugees, joining a host of other mobile providers offering the service.
The mobile operator Plus has provided Poczta Polska with 10,000 pre-paid starter packs, which include free telephone calls and internet access.
The free Plus starter packs are designed for immediate use and include 500 free minutes (exchangeable for SMS) for calls to Kyivstar, Lifecell, and Vodafone mobile networks in Ukraine, along with a free 10 GB internet package.
According to Poczta Polska spokesman Daniel Witowski, postal service personnel can register and activate the starters on-site based on data from Ukrainian passports or residency cards, which will streamline the process immensely.
Cards are available at post offices in the Podkarpackie, Lubelskie, Małopolskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Mazowieckie voivodships, including all offices and branches in Warsaw.
Poczta Polska is the largest infrastructure company in Poland, with a network of 7,600 post offices and over 70,000 employees, including those of Ukrainian nationality.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Iga Świątek beat Madison Keys of the US in two sets (6-1, 6-0) earlier this morning to advance to the semifinals of the Indian Wells tennis tournament in California.
Świątek made quick work of her American opponent, defeating Keys in 56 minutes for a ninth straight match-win.
The 20-year-old Pole will next face off against 24th-seeded Simona Halep of Romania, who defeated Świątek at last year’s Australian Open.
The semifinals match between the two is set for tomorrow, with the time yet to be announced.
Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com
Weather
Today will be sunny, with a few clouds and light winds coming from the southeast. Temperatures will be warmer than yesterday, with a high around 12°C, or 53°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -1°C or 30°F. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with sunny skies continuing into next week.
Elizabeth Peck
