At least 109 children have been killed in Ukraine and more than 130 others wounded since Russian troops invaded the country on February 24, according to official reports.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office claims Russian forces have struck 439 educational establishments, of which 63 were destroyed,
On Wednesday, Russian forces bombed a theatre where civilians, including children, were sheltering in the besieged southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol. As of Saturday morning, 130 survivors had been saved from the ruins, with hundreds reportedly still trapped inside. In comments the previous day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to continue the rescue work “despite the shelling, despite all the difficulties.”
Russian troops on Friday fired missiles at an airport near Lviv, a city in western Ukraine near the Polish border where hundreds of thousands of civilians are currently seeking refuge from the war’s main battlefields, according to reports from Reuters.
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
As of Friday evening, Poland has issued 123,000 personal identification numbers to refugees from Ukraine after opening PESEL registration on March 16.
Deputy Interior Minister Paweł Szefernaker told the media that on Friday alone, 41,000 Ukrainians received their personal identification numbers (PESEL), according to data collected as of 15:00 on Friday.
According to Szefernaker, around 1,000 PESEL numbers a day have been issued to refugees in the capital of Warsaw, with hundreds more being issued daily in other major Polish cities, including Kraków in the south and Wrocław in the southwest.
In Gdańsk, over 8,000 citizens of Ukraine had begun applying for a PESEL as of Friday at 17:00, with 727 receiving a PESEL number and 7274 applications still in progress. Queues at the Gdańsk Benefit Center at ul. Kartuska 32/34 are currently quite long, with city officials reporting an average waiting time of 2, sometimes even 3 hours.
Source: Radio Poland, gdansk,pl
The Heart for Children Foundation in Gdynia is seeking donations to purchase a bus or van to transport more evacuees from active conflict zones in Ukraine.
Henryk Staszewski, a volunteer with “Fundacja Serce Dzieciom” in Gdynia, has already made three trips to areas near the besieged city of Chernihiv to bring mothers with children back to Trójmiasto. As his current van can only hold six people, he is seeking to rent or purchase a vehicle with more capacity.
Funds are also needed for fuel, as well as food, sanitation, and medicine for the rescued women and children.
Donations can be made to the foundation’s account number: 23 1140 2004 0000 3302 8222 3727 with the note “HELP” or “POMOC.” Anyone who can assist with renting a large van is also asked to contact the foundation at 782-213-929.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Iga Świątek has advanced to the finals of the Indian Wells tennis tournament in California after beating Simona Halep of Romania 7-6(6), 6-4) earlier this morning.
The victory marks Świątek’s tenth straight match win and her first time in the BNP Paribas Open championship finals, where she will face Maria Sakkari of Greece.
The final is set for Sunday, with a specific time yet to be announced.
Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.org
Adrianna Sułek won a silver medal in the women’s pentathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia yesterday.
The 22-year-old set a new national record of 4,851 points to claim Poland’s first medal at the event in the Serbian capital. Belgium’s Noor Vidts took the gold with 4,929 points, while the bronze went to Kendell Williams of the United States, who scored 4,680 points.
The women’s pentathlon competition consists of the 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, and 800-meter sprint.
Athletes from Poland have a few additional chances to take home medals before the competition finishes tomorrow. Justyna Święty-Ersetic, Natalia Kaczmarek and Iga Baumgart-Witan are hoping to medal in the women’s 4×400 meter relay, while Konrad Bukowiecki and Michał Haratyk are strong contenders in the men’s shot put.
Source: Radio Poland, www.worldathletics.org
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny but cold, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming from the northeast. Temperatures will be cooler than yesterday, with a high around 7°C, or 44°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -2°C or 28°F. Warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with an increasing chance for sunny skies throughout the week.
Elizabeth Peck
