It’s day 76 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

One person was killed, and five were injured in Odessa as a result of rocket fire last night, according to local officials. Civilian facilities, such as shopping centers, continue to be shelled alongside military targets and infrastructure.

Despite recent evacuations, an estimated 100 civilians remain in the battered Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the authorities of the Donetsk region, nearly 100,000 people remain in Mariupol, a quarter of the city’s prewar population. Living conditions are reportedly “catastrophic,” with estimates of up to 20,000 residents having been killed.

Source: PAP, Radio Gdańsk

Anti-war campaigners doused Russia’s ambassador to Poland with red paint yesterday during a protest of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The ambassador, Sergiy Andreev, was splashed with “a red substance” as he attempted to lay flowers at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw, according to reports by the Polish state news agency (PAP).

May 9 is known as “Dien Pobedy” or “Victory Day” in Russia, a date Russian citizens celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany in the so-called Great Patriotic War.

Russia’s top diplomat to Poland sought to commemorate the occasion by laying wreaths at the Soviet cemetery Monday afternoon, but his delegation was met by a crowd of protesters flying Polish and Ukrainian flags and chanting “fascists” and “murderers.”

The Russian media later quoted Andreev as saying he did not suffer any injuries and did not notify the police but would “submit a note of protest” to the Polish government over „failure to maintain public order.”

Top Polish diplomat Zbigniew Rau called the event “regrettable” in remarks during his visit to Tehran, adding that the incident “should not have taken place” as “diplomats enjoy special protection regardless of the policies of their governments.”

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters

The consul of the Russian Federation in Gdańsk was also met by protestors yesterday as he laid a wreath on the graves of fallen Red Army soldiers at the Soviet Soldiers’ Mausoleum in Gdańsk.

A group of a dozen or so protesters, including Lewica MP Beata Maciejewska, confronted the Russian delegation before they reached the cemetery. The protestors were carrying Ukrainian flags and placards with slogans such as „We are with Ukraine” and „Court-martial Putin” and reportedly called participants “murderers” and “killers.”

A fight and some scuffles broke out during the ceremony, according to reports by police officers on the scene. Deputy Inspector Magdalena Ciska from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gdańsk later explained that the police would evaluate evidence and reports from the scene before deciding how to proceed.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Poland’s Aleksandra Mirosław broke the women’s world record for speed climbing at a World Cup competition last week in Seoul.

The 28-year-old Pole reached the top of a 15-meter wall in 6.64 seconds in the South Korean capital, improving on her previous world record of 6.84 seconds set last year at Tokyo Olympics.

Mirosław finished fourth in the women’s climbing competition at the Tokyo Games last year, narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal.

Source: Radio Poland

The Academic Chaplaincy „Górka” and the Gdańsk-based organization „Soup na Monciaku” have organized a collection of kitchenware to be sent to the Ukrainian town of Fastiv.

The collection is being organized with the assistance of the Dominican monastery in Fastiv (Fastów), a formerly Russian-occupied town close to Kyiv.

The area is now under Ukrainian control, but residents returning to their homes found their properties had been looted during the occupation and are in dire need of pots, pans, crockery, and cutlery.

Safely packed donations of new or gently-used utensils can be brought to the Górka center at St. Nicholas Church in Gdańsk today from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The items will be transported to the Dominican parish in Fastów in a few days.

Source: https://gdansk.dominikanie.pl/kategoria/ogloszenia/

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and warm with a strong breeze coming in from the south and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will be much warmer than yesterday, with a high around 22°C, or 71°F, dropping to an overnight low of 6°C or 43°F. More clouds and a chance for rain return tomorrow and Thursday, with sunnier skies returning on Friday.

Elizabeth Peck