In April 2023 Putin signed an executive order, setting a deadline for Ukrainians to apply for Russian citizenship in the occupied areas. Ukrainians who refuse face confiscation of property and even prison and/or deportation from their homes. A process that has already been used in Crimea, the executive order enables Russia to identify Ukrainians who are openly critical of the invasion.
In May there were reports of Ukrainians being forced to accept Russian citizenship in Kherson Oblast. The Russian occupiers conduct door to door visits threatening local people with power cuts and eviction if they fail to comply with Putin’s executive order.
Today is day 497 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio
Orlen buys Austrian network in gas station expansion
Polish company Orlen announced yesterday that it had acquired Austria’s Doppler Energie, expanding the oil and gas company’s retail operations to a seventh European market. Completion of the acquisition, for which Orlen did not disclose a price, is subject to approval from competition regulators and is planned to be finalised between 2023 and 2024.
The deal will give Orlen 10% of Austria’s retail market and a 14% share of its wholesale market and Orlen’s CEO Daniel Obajtek has said he expects the European Commission to approve the deal within weeks.
Doppler operates Austria’s third biggest network of gas stations that have similar profitability to the outlets Orlen bought from Hungary’s MOL last year. Orlen aims to boast a total of 3,500 petrol stations by end of the decade, and to boost profits from foreign retail operations.
Source: Reuters
Statue unveiled in British cemetery commemorating life of Polish war hero General Władysław Sikorski
Hundreds of people attended the unveiling of a statue to the famed Polish wartime Prime Minister and armed forces commander, General Władysław Sikorski yesterday, in a cemetery where, until recently, he was buried.
The life-sized sculpture of the general was unveiled in the Polish War Graves section of Newark-upon-Trent Cemetery and sees him salute the fallen comrades who served under him that he was once interred alongside.
The General was repatriated to Poland to a hero’s welcome, and, yesterday, on the 80th anniversary of his death in a plane crash on July 4th, 1943, in Gibraltar on take-off, the bronze was unveiled as a lasting memory to the man, and a symbol of the continued friendship between the United Kingdom and Poland.
During the Second World War there were a number of R.A.F. stations within a few miles of Newark, from many of which operated squadrons of the Polish Air Force.
Source: Newark Advertiser, Notes from Poland
The FETA theatre festival starts in Gdańsk on Friday
On Friday, July 7th, the 25th International Festival of Outdoor and Street Theatres – FETA – will commence. This year, the organizers have prepared several performances by groups and theatres from all over Europe.
This year, the event will take place in different parts of Gdańsk. The festival will start with the parade of the Italian theatre Due Mondi „Fiesta”. The streets of the main city centre will have a Venetian carnival atmosphere. On the same day, the first of the performances will take place at Plac Zebrań Ludowych.
The remaining two days of the festival over the weekend will take place at the usual location within Ronald Regan Park in Przymorze. Admission to most performances is free and the event closes each day at 10pm.
You can find more information including the schedule of the festival here.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be warmer and humid with intervals of clouds and sunshine; with rain showers in the afternoon and a chance of thunderstorms in the evening. The wind will come in from the south. Daytime temperatures will see a high of 27°C or 81°F, with expected lows of 14°C or 57°F overnight. We can expect brighter weather from tomorrow and as we move into the weekend.
Listen:
Tom Rado/MarWer
