Poland delivers first Leopard tanks to Ukraine | Poland to expel Belarusian defence attaché | Poland’s Iga Świątek moves into Dubai final | 120,000 refugees are staying in Pomerania

Poland delivers first Leopard tanks to Ukraine

The Polish government has delivered its first batch of Leopard tanks to Ukraine to aid the country as it fights its war with Russia. The announcement came as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was visiting Kyiv to reaffirm his country’s support for Ukraine a year after Russia invaded its neighbour. Duda pledged last month that Poland would send a company of German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine fight Russia. Morawiecki said in an interview with Canadian television in late January that Poland would send an additional 60 battle tanks to Ukraine, on top of the 14 German-made Leopards it had already promised.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland to expel Belarusian defence attaché

The Polish government is set to expel the Belarusian defence attaché in retaliation for the expulsion of three Polish diplomats by Belarus, the Polish foreign ministry has said. A spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said that the three Polish diplomats Minsk had moved to expel — a Polish Border Guard liaison officer and two employees from the Polish consulate in Grodno—”have already left Belarus”. On February 9th, Poland announced that, “in the interest of national security,” it was suspending traffic at the Polish-Belarusian border crossing in Bobrowniki from February 10th until further notice. The move was made after a court in Grodno sentenced Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in “a maximum security penal colony” in what was widely seen as a politically motivated case.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland’s Iga Świątek moves into Dubai final

Poland’s top-ranked Iga Świątek eased past Coco Gauff of the United States on Friday to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates. The Polish world No. 1 dispatched the American 18-year-old 6-4, 6-2 to reach her second final of 2023. The 21-year-old Pole will now face Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic on Saturday as she bids for her 13th career singles title. Świątek, who is coached by countryman Tomasz Wiktorowski, retained her Qatar Open title last week. The Polish star had an outstanding season in 2022, leading the way for finals reached, trophies won and matches won, according to the Women’s Tennis Association.

Source – Polskie Radio

120,000 refugees are staying in Pomerania

And finally, the governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship has said that around 120,000 refugees currently living in the Pomeranian region which includes Gdańsk and the Three Cities. He noted that there are more than 14,000 Ukrainian children studying in the regions schools. The governor was speaking on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He added that the region had been very efficient in the way that it responded to the unfolding crisis. For example, of the 120,000 currently living in the regio 108,000 of them have been issued with the national ID number (called PESEL) which is needed for any meaningful interaction with authorities and services in Poland.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a cloudy day with chances of snow showers in a fresh breeze with temperatures of 3 degree centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 0 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will remain cloudy with some snow showers in places in a moderate breeze and temperatures of 2 degrees during the day and -1 degree overnight.

Martin Caren/aKa