Official celebrations commemorating the 84th anniversary of Soviet Russia’s aggression against Poland took place yesterday around the country. There was a ceremony at the Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East in Warsaw attended by government officials and members of the Siberian Exile Association as well as the honorary guard of the Polish Army.

PM Morawiecki said, September 17 is a symbolic date that has become engraved in the memory of Poland and Poles and should be engraved in the memory of all Europe. He added that the Soviet occupation did not end with the war, but lasted for another 45 years and, according to various estimates, 10 percent. of Polish GDP was drained from Poland to Russia each year. Our government is preparing an exact calculation of losses due to WW2 and its aftermath. We are constantly recovering war losses that resulted from the German and Russian attacks on Poland during World War II, added Culture Minister Glinski. – The Russian Federation does not respond to our restitution requests regarding Polish heritage held by Russian institutions. We will not forget, Glinski summarised.

Radio Gdansk, PAP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Lampedusa on yesterday Sunday after the latter invited the former to the island to see for herself the scale of the migrant emergency.

The leaders went to Lampedusa’s migrant hotspot and the island’s Favaloro quay, where many migrant boats from North Africa land each day. Meloni has said the surge in migrant arrivals has put Italy under „unsustainable pressure”. The official convey was also blockaded by furious local inhabitants in protest at the situation.

Around 127,000 migrants have entered Italy so far this year, approximately twice as many as in the same period in 2022. Von der Leyen, meanwhile, presented a 10-point action plan to address the migrant emergency. The plan includes a possible new EU naval mission in the Mediterranean, faster repatriations of people whose asylum claims have been rejected and humanitarian corridors for legal arrivals, much of which is in line with demands by many governments, Poland in particular.

The subject of Poland participating in proposed EU compulsory relocation schemes will be one of the items that Poles will vote on during the Referendum on October 15th.

ANSA, PAP

SpaceForest, the Polish space programme has planned another flight of its PERUN rocket for this week. This will be the second test launch of the Polish suborbital rocket, and a trial before a space flight planned for next year.

The first test flight of the PERUN rocket took place in June this year at the training ground in Ustka. It then reached a height of 22 kilometres. After the planned aborting the mission, both units returned safely to earth.

Marcin Sarnowski from SpaceForest says the goal now is to reach a greater height and test the procedures. We would like to fly up about 60 kilometres and gain enough speed when entering the atmosphere so that we can test this phase of flight, he added.

The next launch window for the rocket will be on Tuesday. If the weather is good, the rocket will be launched from the Air Force Central Training Ground in Ustka.

September 17th marked the anniversary of the official opening of the Sluice through the Vistula Spit. So far, 1,800 vessels have passed through it. These have been mainly recreational vessels – yachts, fishing boats, private and tourist pleasure craft. August saw a record-breaking 300 units pass through.

Ultimately, cargo vessels carrying goods to the ports around the lagoon, including Elblag will use this route. The economic effects for Elblag will become apparent after the investment is fully completed. For now, work is underway to deepen the waterway to Elblag to enable commercial traffic.

To celebrate this anniversary, our colleagues from Radio Gdansk boarded a yacht yesterday and sailed all the way to the sluice and back again. The Captain is reported to have said that the crew was disciplined, in good spirits and punctual. Just like Radio Gdansk

(Radio Gdansk)

Monday’s Weather

Expect a lovely day today with true summer temperatures There will be variable cloud and light winds. The daytime temperature will be 25 degrees centigrade (78 degrees Fahrenheit) and a warm 20 degrees centigrade (68°F) overnight. Hit the beaches while you still can.

RGEN/AGC