Today marks the 84th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland and the subsequent deportation of over a million Poles to Siberia.

At dawn on September 17, 1939, Soviet troops invaded Poland following the signing of a secret agreement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, with the German Third Reich.

Poland was then caught between German Nazi forces advancing from the west and Soviet troops from the east. Following the Soviet invasion, some 250,000 Polish soldiers were captured by the Soviets, who later executed thousands of prisoners of war.

Mass deportations of the civilian population followed, with an estimated 1.5 million Poles deported to the Soviet interior, mainly to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Tens of thousands of Siberian exiles, or Sybiracy, died during the mass deportations and as prisoners in the gulag.

More information on the history of the Soviet invasion of Poland is available in a recent broadcast of Kresowy Salonik >>>HERE.

Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk

Polish President Andrzej Duda departed yesterday for a five-day visit to the United States that will include a speech to the UN General Assembly and a debate on the Ukraine war at the UN Security Council.

Duda was set to begin his trip this morning by laying flowers at a memorial to the 1940 Katyń Massacre in Jersey City, to be followed by a speech to mark 84 years since the Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939.

Later today, the Polish president and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda are scheduled to meet with the local Polish community, with bilateral meetings at the UN and a speech to the UN General Assembly scheduled for later this week.

Source: Polskie Radio

Polish officials announced yesterday that cars registered in Russia will be banned from entering the country as a further punitive measure for the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced the move at a news conference yesterday in Terespol, a city near the Belarusian border.

As reported by the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the ban is in line with guidance published earlier this month by the European Commission and applies to “all Russian-registered vehicles, both commercial and private,” regardless of whether a car is owned by a citizen of Russia or another country.

According to Kamiński, as of midnight on Saturday, “no passenger car registered in Russia will be allowed to cross into Poland,” a move which complements “the ban on the entry of Russian trucks introduced earlier.”

“This is another sanction imposed on Russia and the citizens of this country over the brutal war in Ukraine,” Kamiński explained, “due to the fact that today, the Russian state poses a threat to international security.”

Today is day 571 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Source: Polskie Radio

The Polish men’s volleyball team triumphed to win gold at the 2023 European Volleyball Championship after beating Italy 3-0 in the final in Rome on Saturday night.

The Polish team defeated the hosts and defending champions in straight sets (25:21, 25:20, 25:23) before a packed crowd at Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport, public broadcaster TVP Sport reported.

The White and Reds were undefeated at this year’s EuroVolley tournament after finishing runner-up last year, taking home their first European title in 14 years.

The team, led by Serbian coach Nikola Grbić, has dominated in competition this year, including winning the Volleyball Nations League last July.

Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk, eurovolley.cev.eu

Local gardeners are officially bidding farewell to summer as part of the 13th annual “Autumn in the Garden” festival being held in Gdańsk Osowa this weekend.

The Pomeranian Wholesale Agricultural-Food Center (Pomorskie Hurtowe Centrum Rolno-Spożywcze – Rënk) is playing host to some 100 gardeners and food producers offering an assortment of locally-produced products, including healthy organic food, honey, cold meats, Kashubian bread, and artisanal handicrafts.

According to Paweł Dołkowski, president of Rënk, the fair offers a variety of activities for families, including face painting and balloon animals for children and professional advice on plant care and current gardening trends for adults.

Last year’s event was visited by almost 20,000 people, with local officials from the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the City of Gdańsk on hand to officially open the festival yesterday.

The fair will be open today until 16:00. More information is available on the Rënk website at renk.pl

Source: Radio Gdańsk, renk.pl

Weather

Today will be mostly sunny, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming from the northeast. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with an afternoon high of 23°C or 74°F, dropping to a low of 14°C or 58°F overnight. Warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for some rain and cooler temps returning on Tuesday.

Elizabeth Peck/ol