The war in Ukraine is entering its fourth month as fighting rages in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Heavy fighting taking place in eastern Ukraine may determine the outcome of Russia’s war against its neighbor, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian defense ministry. Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told Ukrainian state television on Tuesday that Russia’s tactics “suggest it is preparing for a long-term military operation” in the east of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed a decree on Wednesday to offer “fast track” Russian citizenship and passports to residents of the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhia. Residents of the occupied city of Mariupol were also told they could obtain Russian citizenship without obtaining intermediate citizenship from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR).

The historic port city of Odesa in the south is also a strategic Russian target, with Russian warships continuing to block access to the port while establishing additional air defenses in occupied Crimea to protect Russian military assets.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland, Reuters

New survey data shows that more than 20% of refugees from Ukraine, primarily those from areas heavily affected by the fighting, want to remain in Poland.

According to a survey conducted by ARC Rynek and Opinia, those expressing a desire to stay include 71% of refugees coming from areas heavily affected by the fighting, with 36% of these respondents coming from regions that have been heavily damaged or are currently occupied.

Most of those who want to stay in Poland are younger people and those who have already found a job, roughly one-third of respondents. According to the survey data, 83% of respondents do not currently work in Poland, but most (54%) of that number would like to find employment.

One of the main obstacles to entering the labor market is a lack of Polish-language skills and difficulties finding childcare, as 91% of refugees are women. Of the respondents, 78% claimed they plan to study Polish or are already doing so.

Since the war began on February 24, Poland has welcomed over 3.6 (3.614) million refugees, with the Polish border guard reporting over 1.584 million returnees to Ukraine as of May 25.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Straż Graniczna, yavp.pl

Officials and historians are paying tribute today to Witold Pilecki, a Polish World War II resistance fighter and Auschwitz survivor who died at the hands of the Communists 74 years ago.

Pilecki, who was born on May 13, 1901, and died on May 25, 1948, is remembered as “the Auschwitz volunteer” and a victim of two totalitarian systems.

In 1940, he volunteered to be captured and sent to Auschwitz on an intelligence mission. He used this experience to author “Witold’s Report,” the first comprehensive Allied intelligence report on the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Holocaust.

Upon his return to communist Poland after WWII, Pilecki began collecting intelligence against the Soviet Union and was arrested and later executed by the Communists on May 25, 1948.

Former war reporter Jack Fairweather wrote extensively on Pilecki’s life in his book “The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz.” The book went on to win the 2019 Costa Book of the Year, one of the UK’s highest literary awards.

A statue of Captain Pilecki was unveiled outside the WWII museum in Gdańsk in 2019 as part of celebrations to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII. That same year, the European Parliament voted to make May 25 the “International Day of Heroes of the Fight against Totalitarianism,” in honor of the struggle of Pilecki and other resistors.

Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk, muzeum1939.pl

Tennis fans will have to choose between watching Hubert Hurkacz, Iga Świątek, and Magda Linette today as each player attempts to advance at the French Open.

Hurkacz will face Italian Marco Cecchinato in the second round of the men’s singles’ competition, while Swiątek will face American Alison Riske. Both matches are set to start at 14:15 today.

Magda Linette is out of the singles’ competition after losing to Martina Trevisan of Italy yesterday but has a second chance today in the doubles’ competition. She will join her Croatian-American partner, Bernarda Pera, in a match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse at 13:35 today.

Source: PAP, wtatennis.com

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy, with a good chance for rain midday and a strong breeze coming in from the west. Temperatures will peak around a high of 17°C, or 63°F, dropping to an overnight low of 9°C or 49°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain showers in the early morning.

Elizabeth Peck/pb