Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed directly to Russian citizens not to submit to Vladimir Putin’s „criminal mobilization.”

In a video speech on Sunday night, Zelensky addressed Russian men being drafted for the war, telling them in Russian to „not submit to criminal mobilization. Flee. Or surrender to Ukrainian captivity at the first opportunity. I urge all our friends in the information field to spread this appeal.”

„The more citizens of the Russian Federation at least try to protect their own lives,” he explained, „the sooner this criminal war of Russia against the people of Ukraine will end.”

In an earlier video address, President Zelensky appealed to Russians fighting on the frontline to lay down their arms and surrender, promising that all soldiers who surrender voluntarily will be treated with respect and in line with international conventions.

The Ukrainian head of state also ensured that the circumstances of surrender would be kept private, and those afraid to return to Russia wouldn’t be forced to participate in a prisoner swap.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Ukrainian authorities have accused the Kremlin of committing blatant electoral fraud in four occupied regions where so-called „referendums” on joining Russia are being held.

Head of the Luhansk Regional Military-Civil Administration, Serhiy Haidai, warned that no data on the number of ballots cast is available, with Russian officials reporting only statistics related to voter turnout.

In a post on social media, Haidai pointed out that „Russians don’t have any list of inhabitants who stayed in the Russian-occupied cities…but claim that the voter turnout stands at 45%.” He gave the example of Lysychans’k, Severodonetsk, and Rubizhne, cities heavily ravaged by the war, where electoral participation has reportedly surpassed 40%.

Most western powers, including the leaders of the G7, have condemned the referendums as a „sham” and a „breach of the UN Charter and international law.” The Kremlin-orchestrated referenda are scheduled to run until Tuesday, 27 September.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters

The Gdańsk zoo held a press conference yesterday to officially announce the arrival of five cheetah cubs, one of only two litters of the endangered species born in captivity in Europe.

The cubs, a litter of four females and one male, were officially born the night of August 11 to Vega, a nearly 4-year-old female born in the Swedish Boras zoo.

Speaking at the press conference on Sunday, Gdańsk mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz congratulated zoo staff on their breeding success, calling the announcement „a great joy” as „cheetahs are a species threatened with extinction,” due to loss of habitat, illegal hunting, and illegal trade in cheetah cubs.

While the cubs will not be on display to the public for several more weeks, guests can follow their progress on the Zoo’s Facebook page >>>HERE.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, gdansk.pl

The group stage of the FIVB Women’s World Volleyball Championships is set to begin tomorrow at Ergo Arena in Gdańsk. The team made a triumphant return to the World Championships for the first time in twelve years after beating Croatia 3:1 in the opening match last Friday.

Poland’s opponents in Pool B of the tournament are Thailand, South Korea, Dominican Republic, and Turkey, with matches set to run from Sept 27-Oct 1. The first match for Group B will begin tomorrow, with Turkey facing off against South Korea at 2 p.m., followed by Dominican Republic vs. Croatia at 5:30, and Poland versus Thailand at 8:30.

Source: Radio Poland, volleyballworld.com

Stars Robert Lewandowski and Wojciech Szczęsny helped power the Polish national football team to a modest 1:0 victory last night against Wales, securing the Poles a spot in the Nations League top division.

Poland will next take on Mexico in their first group-stage match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on 22 November.

Source: Radio Poland

Weather

Today will be mostly cloudy and cool, with a good chance of rain in the morning and again in the late afternoon. A light breeze from the south will accompany cool temperatures throughout the day, with an expected high of 17°C, or 62°F, dropping to a low of 8°C or 47°F overnight. Similar cool, cloudy weather is expected tomorrow, with an increasing chance for rain as the week progresses.

Listen:

Elizabeth Peck/MarWer