Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has urged citizens to evacuate from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to facilitate an upcoming counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces.

Vereshchuk, who also serves as Ukraine’s Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, told the media that the evacuation is crucial for Ukrainian troops to recapture the territory without putting civilians at risk.

„Our artillery needs to operate,” she explained, „because we need to use force to free the land from Russian occupation.” According to Vereshchuk, the Russian military has been using civilians to block Ukrainian counter-attacks in the south.

Local officials in Kherson have urged residents who cannot leave to prepare to take shelter and stock up on supplies of food, water, and medicine as they prepare for heavy fighting in the area.

The Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have been under Russian occupation since the early days of the war when Russian troops invaded from occupied Crimea.

Source: Radio Poland, The Guardian

Charges have been filed against three men in connection with last Thursday’s riot at the football match between Lechia Gdańsk and Pandev Academy.

The three suspects are accused of assaulting three people, damaging stadium property, and disrupting security during a public event. The men pleaded not guilty in court earlier this week and refused to explain their actions. They will be held in pre-trial detention for three months while police identify more suspects and prosecutors prepare their case.

Fighting broke out in the host stands during Thursday’s match between Lechia Gdańsk and Akademia Pandev; the game was stopped for 40 minutes after the first whistle to bring the situation under control.

Police later identified and formally detained four men in response to the incident, with a fifth held for questioning by investigators. The accused could face up to eight years in jail if convicted on all charges.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Testing centers in Gdańsk and other cities across Poland are seeking teachers from Ukraine to conduct admission exams for Ukrainian higher education programs.

As it is not possible to conduct the exams in the traditional format due to the ongoing Russian invasion, Ukrainian students will be required to pass the national multi-subject test (NMT) for admission to undergraduate studies or the master’s complex test (MKT) for graduate admissions.

In Poland, centers for taking the NMT and MKT exams are being set up in Gdańsk, Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Lublin, and Poznan, with teachers needed to proctor the exams at each site.

The exams will be held from July 18 to August 10, with the University of Gdańsk set to host one of the testing centers.

Those interested in applying should register their interest >>>HERE.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMWM) issued a first-degree warning for potential hailstorms Sunday and Monday in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Storms today and tomorrow will be accompanied by potentially heavy rainfall of 20 to 35 mm per hour, along with gusts of wind from 70 to 85 kilometers, or 40 to 50 miles, per hour. Hail can also occur in some parts of the region.

The storm warning is valid from noon today until early Monday morning.

Source: Radio Gdansk

The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is hosting a „Poetry for Ukraine” event tonight featuring the music and poetry of various Ukrainian artists.

The concert will feature well-known orchestral pieces alongside contemporary Ukrainian works and readings of famous Ukrainian poets.

The concert will begin at 18:00 on Sunday in the Jan Olszewski room. Admission to the event is free, and tickets can be picked up at the museum box office.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be mostly cloudy and cool, with a good chance of rain throughout the day and a strong breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 19°C, or 66°F, dropping to an overnight low of 12°C or 54°F. Similar wet weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for sunshine and warmer weather returning midweek.

Posłuchaj:

Elizabeth Peck/MarWer