Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused Russia of committing war crimes in the recently liberated town of Izyum in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Zelensky again called on the international community to declare Russia “a state sponsor of terrorism” as exhumations began at a mass burial site near the recently liberated city of Izyum.
In his speech over the weekend, Zelensky stated, “we have already discovered 450 bodies, but there are more burial sites of many tortured people – even whole families, scattered in various places. In Izyum, people were beaten to death and simply tossed into pits dug in the ground.”
Investigators searching through the mass burial site near Izyum have reportedly found evidence that some of the dead had been tortured, with some bodies having broken limbs and ropes around their necks, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) agency said on Friday it would seek to send its officials to investigate the circumstances of the deaths of the people whose bodies were being exhumed near Izyum.
Source: Radio Poland, AP
Polish President Andrzej Duda was in Gdynia yesterday to commemorate the victims of Soviet aggression as officials marked the 83rd anniversary of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland.
During his visit, Duda laid a wreath at the Monument to the Exiles from Siberia in Gdynia, later speaking to how Soviet Russia was responsible for the deaths of millions of Polish citizens who “were being imprisoned and forcefully resettled to Siberia, where they were dying in labor camps due to illnesses and hard work.”
At dawn on September 17, 1939, Soviet troops invaded Poland following the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a secret agreement between Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany.
A 2019 resolution by the EU Parliament condemned the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, under which “Poland was invaded first by Hitler and two weeks later by Stalin – which stripped the country of its independence and was an unprecedented tragedy for the Polish people.”
ollowing the Soviet invasion, some 250,000 Polish soldiers were captured by the Soviets, who later executed thousands of prisoners of war. Residents of the Second Polish Republic were forced to adopt Soviet citizenship, and mass deportations of the civilian population followed.
An estimated 1.5 million Poles were exiled to the Soviet interior, mainly to Siberia and Kazakhstan.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki joined parliamentarians and local government officials yesterday to officially open a new waterway to the Baltic Sea.
Running through the Vistula Spit, the new canal is designed to allow ships to enter the Polish port of Elbląg without passing through the Strait of Baltiysk in Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
The shipping channel is one of the largest investment projects in post-war Poland, with the construction of the passage, lock, and accompanying canal infrastructure taking over two years to complete.
During the opening ceremony, President Andrzej Duda explained that while “Poland had other ports to receive goods from the biggest container ships,” the canal was of strategic and symbolic importance for Poland because it allows access to the Vistula Lagoon without the need to pass through Russian territory.
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk called the new waterway “a historic and groundbreaking project” amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based non-profit, is teaming up with 33 partner organizations to host a three-day Ukraine Action Summit on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., starting today.
According to Oleksa Martyniouk, director of research and policy at Razom’s advocacy team, over 30 organizations from different backgrounds – including humanitarian, medical, human rights, civic engagement, diaspora, ethnic and religious organizations – will bring some 300 advocates to Washington to meet with political representatives.
Participants in the Ukraine Action Summit will be advocating for legislation and resolutions to help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression, including expedited military aid to Ukraine, additional Russian sanctions and accelerated legal proceedings for confiscated Russian assets, designation of Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and targeted humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.
Over the last six months, Razom has enlisted hundreds of volunteers and raised over USD 60 million to buy and transport medical supplies to Ukraine and continues to raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine and the need for additional humanitarian and military support.
More information on the summit can be found at americancoalitionforukraine.org
Source: Radio Poland, businesswire.com
Poland still has a chance for a spot on the podium as they face off against Germany in the FIBA Men’s EuroBasket 2022 tournament in Berlin.
Despite a disappointing (54-95) loss to France over the weekend, the Polish men’s basketball team still has a chance to secure a historic bronze medal win today if they can beat Germany.
The Poland vs. Germany match is set for 17:15 today in Berlin.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, fiba.basketball
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance for rain showers throughout the day and a gentle breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will stay on the cool side, with a high of 16°C, or 61°, dropping to a low of 9°C or 49°F overnight. Cool temps and cloudy weather will remain in the forecast for the next several days, with a chance for additional rain.
Elizabeth Peck/jk
