Ukrainian troops appear to have broken through to the left bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region as part of their counteroffensive against invading Russian forces.

According to a report released on Tuesday by US think-tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), “Ukrainian forces appear to have conducted a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.”

Some Russian military bloggers reported Ukrainian forces landing several boats on the east bank near Kozachi Laheri, breaking through defensive lines and advancing “up to 800 meters,” as cited in the ISW report.

The head of Russian occupation authorities, Vladimir Saldo, later claimed that Russian artillery had repelled the Ukrainian boats, while Russian military bloggers cited by ISW claim that Ukrainian troops “managed to utilize tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces.”

ISW analysts stated it remained unclear whether Ukrainian troops had established an enduring presence on the east bank of the Dnipro, describing the situation as “more consistent with a limited cross-river raid than a wider Ukrainian operation.”

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the General Staff in Kyiv reported that Ukrainian troops are continuing their summer counteroffensive on at least two sectors of the front, namely in the directions of Berdyansk (western Donetsk–eastern Zaporizhia Oblast area) and Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast).

Today is day 533 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Source: Polskie Radio

The foreign ministers of Poland and the Baltic states have reaffirmed their support for the democratic opposition of Belarus on the three-year anniversary of “the rigged presidential election” of Alexander Lukashenko.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the Polish, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian foreign ministers highlighted the “massive electoral fraud” of the August 9, 2020, election in Belarus, which sparked an “unprecedented wave of peaceful protests by the Belarusian people who demanded the freedom to choose their future.” In response, Belarusian authorities “unleashed a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and their supporters.”

Poland’s top diplomat Zbigniew Rau and his Baltic counterparts went on to condemn “this criminal seizure of power” by an “illegitimate regime” which “has since resulted in massive internal repression, complicity in the war crimes and the crime of aggression, rapid erosion of Belarus’ sovereignty, as well as destabilization of the region.”

The group reiterated their “call for the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, for the cessation of repression and of complicity in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

In a separate message of support to the Belarusian people on Wednesday, Rau lauded that Poland “has become a safe haven” for thousands of Belarusians during the last three years.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed Rau’s remarks, thanking “our neighbors and friends in Poland” in a post on social media for their “steadfast support for the people of Belarus” and role as “safe haven for many Belarusians fleeing repression.”

Source: Polskie Radio

A Belarusian sprinter who was forced out of the Tokyo Olympics by the authorities in Minsk has been cleared to race for Poland.

Earlier this week, the World Athletics Organization announced that 26-year-old sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is eligible to represent Poland in international competitions.

In 2021, Belarusian coaches tried to force Tsimanouskaya to leave the Tokyo Olympics after she publicly criticized them for attempting to enter her in an event she had never competed in before.

The Polish embassy in Tokyo moved swiftly to grant the sprinter a humanitarian visa, and Tsimanouskaya relocated to Warsaw, avoiding a forcible return to Belarus amid a crackdown on dissent under the strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko. She was granted Polish citizenship last year.

Tsimanouskaya said she was “extremely happy” with the decision as there was now a chance she could represent Poland at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, starting on August 19.

Source: Polskie Radio, euronews.com

Marek Zakrzewski, the 17-year-old sprinter from Słupsk, took home his second gold medal yesterday for the 200-meter dash at the European Championships in Jerusalem.

After setting a new Polish U-20 record in the 100m on Tuesday, the alumnus of the Young Athlete Academy in Słupsk took home gold in the 200-meter sprint on Wednesday with a time of 20.63 seconds.

Zakrzewski’s latest victory is one of the greatest success stories in youth athletics in many years, putting the Pole on par with the UK’s Daren Campbell, who took home double gold in the 100m/200m dash in 1991.

“I am the first Polish sprinter who achieved the gold medal in the 100m in history,” Zakrzewski told reporters after the race, “so this is some kind of a signal to my country that we can do something big.”

Zakrzewski and Team Poland are due to compete in the second heat of the men’s 4 x 100m relay today in Jerusalem.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, european-athletics.com

Weather

Today will be mostly cloudy, with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the southwest. Temperatures will be slightly warmer than yesterday, with a daytime high of 20°C or 68°F, dropping to a low of 12°C or 53°F overnight. Similar weather is forecast for tomorrow, with good weather and warmer temps expected over the weekend.

Elizabeth Peck/kł