A series of explosions rocked a Russian military base in the annexed Crimean Peninsula on Tuesday, with Ukraine hinting at responsibility for the attack.

The blasts hit an arms store at a Russian military base in the north of Crimea, disrupting trains and forcing 2,000 people to be evacuated from a nearby village, the Reuters news agency reported, citing Russian officials.

Ukraine has not officially confirmed or denied responsibility for the explosions in Crimea, although its officials have openly cheered the blasts. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, described the latest incident as „demilitarisation in action,” suggesting that the explosions were not accidental. Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry said the blasts at the ammunition depot were „a result of sabotage.”

Today is day 175 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has concentrated a large number of rocket systems at the Zyabrovka airfield in Belarus, indicating possible preparation for an attack on Ukraine, according to Belarusian opposition activists.

Belarusian Hajun, an independent monitoring group, reported on Monday that „Russia has accumulated a large number of anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as between 15 and 60 missiles, at the Zyabrovka airfield,” the Ukrainska Pravda website reported.

The Zyabrovka airfield is located in the southern Belarusian region of Homel, which borders Ukraine close to the city of Chernihiv and some 250 km from Kyiv.

Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk

The first ship carrying humanitarian food relief for Africa has departed from the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi, news outlets reported on Tuesday, citing Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry.

The vessel is carrying 23,000 metric tonnes of Ukrainian wheat to food-starved Ethiopia. The ship’s departure marks „the first shipment of its kind in a program to assist countries facing famine,” according to PBS NewsHour.

Source: Radio Poland

Hundreds of breeders and buyers of Arabian thoroughbreds visited eastern Poland over the weekend to attend the 44th annual Polish National Arabian Horse Show and the world-famous „Pride of Poland” auction.

Some 120 horses were presented this year at the state-run stud farm in Janów Podlaski. The highlight of the annual event was last Sunday’s prestigious „Pride of Poland” thoroughbred auction, which annually draws the attention of buyers and some 100,000 viewers from around the world.

This year’s Pride of Poland attracted 40 bidders from various countries, including France, Germany, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Switzerland, according to officials. Esmeralda, a nine-year-old bay mare from Michałów, fetched the highest price this year, going to a French buyer for EUR 400,000. Another horse from Michałów, a seven-year-old auburn mare named Poganinka, was sold for EUR 220,000 in the day’s second-biggest transaction. All in all, 14 horses were sold for a combined EUR 1,596,000, a sum that „exceeded our expectations,” according to Andrzej Wójtowicz, a senior official in charge of Poland’s state stud farms.

More on the event can be found >>>HERE.

Source: Radio Poland, prideofpoland.com

Poland’s Aleksandra Mirosław won speed-climbing gold at the European Sport Climbing Championships, as Polish athletes took a clean sweep of the medals on Monday.

A two-time world champion and current world record holder, Mirosław beat out fellow Poles Aleksandra Kałucka and her twin sister Natalia in the final of the championships in Munich, Germany. Poland’s Marcin Dzieński won silver in the men’s speed climbing competition, narrowly losing the top spot to Ukraine’s Danyil Boldyrev, who literally „jumped for joy” upon receiving the award.

Source: Radio Poland, www.ifsc-climbing.org

The Institute of Meterology and Water Management in Poland has issued a hail storm warning for the entire province of Pomerania until Friday.

According to forecasters, summer storms may be accompanied by heavy rainfall from 20 mm to 35 mm and gusts of wind up to 70-80 kilometers per hour. The warning accompanies a second-degree heat warning already in effect for parts of southern Pomerania (including Gdańsk) until Friday, as temperatures cool off over the weekend.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and hot, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming in from the north. Temperatures will peak around a high of 27°C, or 81°F, dropping to an overnight low of 19°C or 66°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with storms and cooler weather arriving over the weekend.

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Elizabeth Peck/MarWer