Ukrainian forces reported shooting down more than 40 drones over Kyiv last night, in what Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko estimated to be the largest drone attack since the beginning of the invasion.

As of 10:00 this morning, reports claim at least one person was killed and another injured as a result of the attacks, and authorities are still determining the extent of the damages.

According to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russians launched a record number of Iranian-manufactured Shahed drones from the Bryansk region north of Ukraine and Krasnodar Krai in the south of Russia. Ukrainian air defense claims to have shot down 52 out of 54 enemy objects across Ukraine, with the majority near the capital of Kyiv.

“It’s the 14th drone attack on the capital since the beginning of May,” said Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko in a statement released earlier this morning. “Today, the enemy has decided to 'extend their wishes’ to the residents on the occasion of Kyiv Day, using deadly drones.”

The attack was launched ahead of Kyiv Day, celebrated annually on the last Sunday of May to mark the anniversary of the capital’s official founding 1,541 years ago.

Source: PAP, BBC, Reuters

A prominent British military official has voiced his concerns that Russia may continue to threaten NATO countries after a defeat in Ukraine even if Vladimir Putin no longer remains in power.

In an interview yesterday with The Telegraph, outgoing commander of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston warned that even if Russia loses in Ukraine, it will remain one of the “enduring threats” to the security of Britain and other NATO countries, whether Vladimir Putin stays in power or not.

“There is a whole structure and hierarchy behind Putin,” Wigston explained in the interview. “Even if Putin was to disappear off the stage, there are countless others that could replace him that could be as equally as brutal and vicious to their own people and to neighboring states.”

Wigston warned that Russia’s humiliating withdrawal from Ukraine could exacerbate this threat, and the West should be ready for it. “When the Ukraine conflict is over, and Ukraine has restored its borders, as it must, we will have a damaged, vindictive, and a brutal Russia, whose means of harming us is through air attack, missile attack, and subsurface attack,” he explained.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, telegraph.co.uk

The British-Polish film “The Zone of Interest” took home the Grand Prix award from Cannes last night, the second-highest honor at the Cannes International Film Festival.

The script for the film was written by director Jonathan Glazer, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis. The story follows the family of Rudolf Hoess (Christian Friedel), the commandant of KL Auschwitz, who moves into a large villa on the outskirts of the camp with his wife (Sandra Huller) and five children.

The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and shot on location at the site of the former Nazi death camp in Auschwitz. After Saturday’s announcement, D. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, praised director Jonathan Glazer for approaching the material “with great sensitivity and understanding,” saying in a post on Twitter that the film “will make many people think.”

In addition to winning the Grand Prix award, “The Zone of Interest” also took home the Cannes Soundtrack Award and the distinctive FIPRESCI Award, awarded by a jury from the International Federation of Film Critics.

Following the film’s premiere at Cannes on May 19, “The Zone of Interest” reportedly received a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience.

Source: PAP, gov.pl, Jerusalem Post

Robert Karaś, a local athlete from Elbląg, is being celebrated across Poland and around the world after breaking the world record in the grueling Brasil Ultra Triathlon.

After enduring 164 hours, 14 minutes, and 2 seconds of relentless physical exertion, Karaś shattered the previous world record by nearly 18 hours.

Despite rumors on social media that injuries would force Karaś to walk or drop out of the competition, he successfully completed 38 km (24 miles) of swimming, 1800 km (1118 miles) of cycling, and 422 km (262 miles) of running.

Karaś completed the entire race without stopping to rest, instead resorting to brief naps for rejuvenation. At one point, however, he was forced to take an eight-hour break to deal with pain caused by a renewed injury.

While Karaś has already finished the race, the Brasil Ultra Tri 2023 was still underway as of last night, with two other Polish contenders, Jurand Czabański and Rafał Godzwo, currently in the running (no pun intended) for silver and bronze.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio, akademiatriathlonu.pl

Weather

Today will be clear and sunny with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming from the south and later west. Temperatures will be warmer than yesterday, with a daytime high of 22°C or 71°F, dropping to a low of 10°C or 50°F overnight. Slightly cooler weather is expected tomorrow, with more sun and higher temps returning later in the week.

Elizabeth Peck/pb