Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszcak officially handed over a new short-range air defense system to a regiment in northeastern Poland to strengthen national security amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
At a ceremony yesterday in the northeastern town of Gołdap, Błaszcak told the media he was “very pleased that modern equipment has reached the Polish army, adding that the “Mała Narew” system had earlier been successfully deployed in the southeastern city of Zamość.
The Mała Narew new-generation short-range air defense system combines UK-produced Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) weaponry and iLauncher missile launchers integrated with a Polish Jelcz truck chassis.
According to officials, the short-range system represents one layer of Poland’s projected air defenses, located between the medium-range Wisła system, which uses US-made Patriot launchers, and the very short-range Pilica and Pilica+ systems, equipped with Polish Grom (Thunder) and Piorun (Thunderbolt) missiles.
Earlier this month, Błaszcak signed contracts to purchase over 1,000 UK-made CAMM-ER missiles and 138 launchers for the short-range air defense system, due to be delivered between 2027 and 2035, according to PAP.
Today is day 570 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk
President Andrzej Duda sent greetings yesterday to Poland’s Jewish community as it celebrates the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year.
In a trilingual message posted in English, Hebrew, and Polish, Duda described Rosh Hashanah as “a time of reflection and consolation” in which members of the Jewish community “gather with your loved ones to share your warmest wishes and greetings for the future.”
Duda went on to say he wished “much health, happiness, and inner peace to the entire Jewish community in Poland.”
The Jewish New Year is a two-day celebration that began at sunset on Friday, Sept. 15, and will end at sunset on Sunday, Sept. 17.
Source: Polskie Radio
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced yesterday that Poland would extend its ban on importing Ukrainian grain after the European Commission decided to lift the current import embargo in Poland and other neighboring EU member states.
Morawiecki made the declaration during a visit to the northeastern city of Ełk, where he pledged to “extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain…because it is in the interests of Polish farmers.”
The European Commission announced on Friday that it would not prolong the EU’s ban on importing wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflowers, and sunflower oil from Ukraine to EU member states Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
The Commission said it was letting the restrictive measures expire because “the market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine have disappeared” since the embargo was imposed on May 2, according to reports by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
According to EU officials, Ukraine is expected to implement “effective measures to control the export of four groups of goods in order to prevent any market distortions in neighboring EU member states.
Source: Polskie Radio
Polish speed climber Aleksandra Mirosław broke the women’s world record in her event by 0.01 seconds (ten milliseconds) at an Olympic qualifying competition in Rome on Friday.
According to Polish media sources, the 29-year-old Pole reached the top of a 15-meter wall in 6.24 seconds, an improvement on her previous world record of 6.25 seconds that she herself set last April.
Mirosław finished fourth in the women’s climbing competition at the Tokyo Games in 2021, narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal.
Source: Polskie Radio
The Polish men’s volleyball team will face Italy tonight for a chance at 2023 EuroVolley gold after defeating Serbia 3-1 earlier this week.
The Italy-Poland finals matchup is scheduled for 21:00 CEST tonight.
Source: Polskie Radio, eurovolley.cev.eu
A play by Antoni Filipkowski about the experience of Siberian exiles returning to Poland is set to premiere this weekend in Gdańsk.
Filipkowski’s original five-act play “Traces” or “Ślady” had its first showing last night at the Sw. Jana Cultural Center in Gdańsk, with an official premiere set for Sunday, September 17.
In a performance set to the musical compositions of Filipkowski, actors will convey the memories of those forcibly exiled to the distant frozen lands of Siberia in the spring of 1945. Notably, representatives of the Siberian Family (Rodziny Sybirackiej), the local Związku Sybiraków or Association of Siberians, and a contingent of 150 students will also be in attendance at the premiere.
According to Filipkowski, the creative mind behind “Traces,” the play “aim(s) to capture the paradox of history and ensure that the memory of those sent to Siberia endures.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny, with very little chance of rain and a strong breeze from the southeast. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with an afternoon high of 23°C or 73°F, dropping to a low of 8°C or 46°F overnight. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with sunny skies and scattered clouds expected to stick around over the weekend.
Listen to the broadcast:
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