Russia’s prestigious 1st Guards Tank Army has been forced to withdraw from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region due to Kyiv’s sweeping counteroffensive, severely weakening a key component of Russia’s conventional forces.
In a report released yesterday, analysts from the British Ministry of Defense noted that „1 GTA suffered heavy casualties in the initial phase of the invasion and had not been fully reconstituted prior to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv.”
The 1st Guards Tank Army had been „one of the most prestigious of Russia’s armies, allocated for the defense of Moscow, and intended to lead counter-attacks in the case of a war with NATO. „Russia’s current capacity to counter NATO „is severely weakened,” say UK analysts, and „it will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability,” they assessed.
Source: Radio Poland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced yesterday evening that Ukraine now has „full control” of over 4,000 square kilometers of territory recovered from Russian forces, with Ukrainian forces working to stabilize and secure an additional 4,000 square kilometers.
The figures vary slightly from previous announcements that Ukraine had regained 6,000 square kilometers in the ongoing counter-offensive. Ukrainian officials say it is essential to distinguish between taking the territory and ensuring it is completely safe, which involves dealing with physical remnants of the occupation and potential saboteurs and collaborators.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announced the re-capture of an additional eight settlements in the Kharkiv region and also confirmed the complete liberation of the key city of Izium.
Source: PAP
In an address to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin chastised EU member states for being „far too naive” in their previous approach toward Russia.
We „have built our assumptions about Russia’s activities on wrong ideas,” she told MEPs. „We should have listened more closely to our friends from the Baltic states and Poland, who have lived under Soviet rule.”
She went on to describe the „heavy price” the EU was now paying for its mistaken dependency on Russian oil and gas, as Russia continues to „challenge us, blackmail us and threaten us.” The only solution, claims Marin, is to increase pressure on the regime of Vladimir Putin and strive to maintain „unity, determination, and courage” across the 27-member EU bloc.
„We may count the cost of war in euros,” she reminded MEPs, „but Ukrainians count it in human lives.”
Source: Radio Poland, euronews.com
The Polish government announced plans to increase the minimum monthly salary and the minimum hourly rate starting in January 2023, with another increase planned for July.
Under a new Council of Ministers decree announced yesterday, as of January 2023, the minimum salary will increase to PLN 3,490 (EUR 739) per month, with the minimum hourly rate set at PLN 22.80 (EUR 4.83).
Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters: „We want employees to earn as much as possible and the Polish economy to thrive and be able to cope as well as possible with difficult circumstances.”
An additional increase will take effect next July, with the minimum monthly salary set to reach PLN 3,600 (EUR 763) and the minimum hourly rate set at PLN 23.50 (EUR 4.98).
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Poland is set to play Slovenia tonight for a place in the final four of the FIBA Men’s EuroBasket 2022 tournament. The Polish team made it through to the quarter-finals after beating Ukraine 94:86 (24:21, 18:24, 27:22, 25:19) in their Round of 16 match in Berlin, Germany, last Sunday.
Led by captain Mateusz Ponitka and lead scorer A.J. Slaughter, Poland managed to fight its way through a tight qualifying contest to make the final eight teams of the EuroBasket tournament for the first time since 1997.
The 13th-ranked Polish team faces 5th-ranked Slovenia tonight at 20:30, with both vying for a chance to advance to the semi-finals. The EuroBasket 2022 tournament is set to wrap up next Sunday, September 18.
Source: Radio Poland, fiba.basketball
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cool, with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the west. Temperatures will peak around a high of 18°C, or 64°F, dropping to an overnight low of 12°C or 54°F. Similar cool, cloudy weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for some rain in the early afternoon.
Posłuchaj:
Elizabeth Peck/MarWer
