Anti-aircraft alarms sounded across all regions of Ukraine this morning amid fears of a massive missile attack by Russia.

In the capital of Kyiv, sirens went off at 3:41 (2:41 in Poland) this morning, with air defenses reportedly shooting down targets over the capital and reports of explosions in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy.

Sirens went off a half hour later in parts of western Ukraine, with reports on social networks claiming high levels of activity from Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers and ships with Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea.

Residents of Ukraine were asked to stay in shelters and refrain from publishing information on air defense activities.

Today is day 432 of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Source: PAP

A new survey by SW Research agency found that more than half of Poles do not have confidence in the Polish government to lower inflation in the country.

The study showed 67.6 percent of respondents saying the government will not be able to tackle high inflation rates, while only 17.1 percent of those polled said they trusted the government to deal with growing prices. Another 15.3 percent of respondents said they had no opinion on the issue.

Poles under age 24 and those with university degrees were the most critical of the Polish government’s anti-inflation efforts.

Inflation in Poland stood at 14.7 percent in year-on-year terms in April, according to a flash estimate released on Friday by Poland’s national statistics office (GUS).

While the inflation rate in Poland has dropped from highs of 18.4 percent in February and 16.1 percent in March, the consumer price index still shows some of the highest rates in the EU, surpassed only by rates in the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

In an Inflation Report released on March 10, the Polish central bank predicted that inflation would average 11.9 percent this year, followed by 5.7 percent in 2024 and 3.5 percent in 2025.

Source: Polskie Radio, Statista

Remontowa shipbuilding company in Gdańsk has started the construction of two sophisticated electronic spy ships for the Polish Navy.

A ceremony was held last Thursday at the Remontowa shipyard to cut sheets for the construction of the first of two signal intelligence (SIGINT) radio-electronic reconnaissance ships in the “Dolphin” series. The ships will reportedly be replacements for the distinguished ORP “Nawigator” and “Hydrograf” vessels, which have been in service since the 1970s.

The new innovative, state-of-the-art units will be variations based on the SIGINT Swedish “Artemis” vessel, with each ship estimated to measure 74 meters long, 14 meters wide, and 3.8 meters high.

Commissioned by the Swedish company SAAB Kockums AB, the EUR 620 million contract for the design, construction, delivery, and logistical support of the two reconnaissance ships was signed in November of last year, with delivery anticipated sometime in 2027.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Polish tennis star Iga Świątek is looking to advance to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open after defeating American Bernarda Pera in straight sets last night.

The Polish world No. 1 advanced to the round of sixteen after beating Pera 6-3, 6-2 at the clay-court tournament in the Spanish capital.

On the men’s side, Hubert Hurkacz crashed out of the single-elimination tournament last night after losing 7-6, 6-3 to Borna Ćorić of Croatia.

Świątek will face Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia today for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals. Świątek has faced the 16th-seeded Russian twice before – losing to her in 2021 at the Australian Open after beating her the year before at the Ostrava Open in the Czech Republic.

The match is set for tonight at 21:20 CEST.

Source: Polskie Radio, wtatennis.com

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and warm with very little chance of rain showers and a light breeze from the south. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a daytime high of 16°C or 61°F dropping to a low of 5°C or 41°F overnight. Tomorrow will be slightly overcast but warm, with an additional chance for rain showers in the morning and early afternoon.

Listen to the broadcast:

Elizabeth Peck/ol