A drone attack on Moscow over the weekend reportedly damaged buildings in the city, but no human casualties have been reported.

The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, tried to play down the threat, claiming that Russia shot down three drones and that building damage was only superficial.

The attack seems, however, to have considerable symbolic significance as the building was the location of three ministries together with family residences.

Ukraine has yet to comment, though the attack aligns with previous Ukrainian statements that drone attacks reveal Moscow’s inadequate air defenses.

Source: Polskie Radio

Ukraine has officially taken responsibility for an attack on the strategic Kerch Bridge in Crimea in October 2022.

As reported by Reuters, the Head of Ukraine’s Secret Services, Vasyl Malyuk, described the attack as one of many “special operations” by Ukrainian forces, referencing the terminology used by Russian propagandists for the war in Ukraine.

“We’ll be able to speak about some of them publicly, out loud after the victory,” Malyuk explained, while “we will not talk at all about others.”

The bridge is strategically crucial as the only transport link from Russia to the Crimean peninsula and serves as a point of pride for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In June 2023, there was another explosion on the bridge, for which Ukraine has still not officially claimed responsibility.

Last week, Ukraine’s Head of Military Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, told reporters that Ukraine would begin the liberation of Crimea “soon.”

Today is day 523 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Source: Polskie Radio

August 1 marks the 79th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, which will be commemorated tomorrow in cities across Poland, including in Gdańsk.

President Andrzej Duda and Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski met with surviving Warsaw insurgents on Sunday at the Warsaw Uprising Museum to kick off a week of events commemorating the historic act of Polish defiance.

Tomorrow’s program in Gdańsk will begin at 15:00 on the square in front of the Museum of the Second World War. It will include a presentation by the commander of the Gdańsk Garrison and a performance of the national anthem of Poland, the “Mazurek Dąbrowski,” by the Maritime Border Guard Unit Orchestra.

At 17:00, or “W” hour, alarm sirens will sound for one minute in cities and villages across Poland, including in Pomerania. Per tradition, residents will pause for one minute to commemorate the over 200,000 civilians and Polish soldiers killed in the Uprising.

The sirens did not sound in some cities last year, including in Sopot and Poznań, out of concern for Ukrainian refugees who had recently fled the war in Ukraine.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio

World No. 1 Iga Świątek celebrated in front of a home audience yesterday after soundly defeating Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-0, 6-1 in the finals of the Poland Open.

After finishing her suspended match with Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-1, 7-6 Sunday afternoon, Świątek went on to defeat the German two-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 35 in only 68 minutes.

After the match, a jubilant Świątek reportedly signed her athletic shoes and threw them into the crowd.

The victory marks the fourth title for Świątek this season after taking home trophies at Doha, Stuttgart, and the French Open last month.

Source: Polskie Radio, wtatennis.com, bbc.com

A storm that passed over Gdańsk Sunday evening dumped ten days’ worth of rain in less than an hour, flooding roads and basements across the city.

Firefighters in the Pomeranian Voivodeship intervened 30 times on Sunday in connection with the downpour, usually to pump water from flooded streets, basements, and garages. Some 15 interventions took place in Gdańsk, with the districts of Strzyża, Górny and Dolny Wrzeszcz, Jasień, and Piecko-Migowo reportedly the most heavily affected.

According to data from Gdańskie Wody, about 30 liters of water per square meter fell during the brief storm, equivalent to a third of the monthly average rainfall for July.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

A 51-year-old man from Gdańsk who disappeared from his apartment early Friday evening returned home safely Sunday morning, according to Gdańsk police.

No further details were provided regarding the man’s whereabouts while he was missing.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be mostly cloudy, with a slight chance of rain showers later in the day and a brisk breeze coming from the southwest. Temperatures will be a bit cooler than yesterday, with a daytime high of 21°C or 70°F, dropping to a low of 16°C or 60°F overnight. Slightly cooler weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for rain showers throughout the day.

Elizabeth Peck/aKa