The Polish Army announced on Saturday that it had briefly launched “all necessary procedures” to safeguard its airspace amid Russia’s ongoing missile attacks on neighboring Ukraine.

The Operational Command in Warsaw announced Saturday morning that there had been stepped-up activity of the long-range aircraft of the Russian Federation, designed to carry out rocket strikes on targets located on the territory of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that Russia had launched dozens of attacks on Ukraine overnight on Friday, using a wide range of weapons, including cruise, ballistic, and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as drones.

No fatalities had been reported as of Saturday evening, with at least one civilian wounded in Beryslav on the shores of the Dnipro River in southern Kherson.

Late Saturday, Polish military authorities said that planes protecting its airspace had returned to base after the threat level had subsided, as Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

Today is day 690 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Source: Radio Poland

Britain has unveiled a new package of military assistance for Ukraine worth nearly EUR 2.9 billion, including air defenses, anti-tank weapons, and long-range missiles.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the new tranche of defense aid during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday. Speaking at a joint news conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sunak said the new package was Britain’s “biggest single package” for Kyiv since the war began.

The UK prime minister added that he and Zelensky had also signed a “new security agreement,” the first in a “series of new, bilateral security assurances promised to Ukraine by 30 countries” at last year’s NATO summit.

Sunak stressed that Britain stands “shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine” and that “Ukraine will prevail” in its war effort against the Russian invasion.

Source: Polskie Radio

On Friday, Poland’s Justice Ministry outlined a bill to rectify the procedure for appointing judges as an initial step in reversing a judicial overhaul implemented by the previous nationalist government.

The bill’s objective would be to unlock EU funds frozen due to a longstanding disagreement with Brussels over Poland’s court reforms and rule of law.

A critical aspect of the effort revolves around the appointment of judges, a process the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the EU criticized as being politicized under the former PiS-led administration.

Poland is entitled to nearly EUR 60 billion from the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, including some EUR 35 billion in loans and over EUR 25 billion in grants. So far, Poland has received only the first tranche of funding, some EUR 5 billion, earmarked for green energy development.

Source: Radio Poland

Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Gdańsk over the weekend to honor the memory of former Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz on the fifth anniversary of his tragic death.

During a commemorative rally on Saturday at Targ Węglowy, Tusk was joined by Speaker of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, current Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, and members of Adamowicz’s family, including his wife, Magdalena and brother Piotr.

According to Tusk, the “tragic and seemingly senseless death” of Adamowicz has given profound significance to the belief that both Gdańsk and all of Poland “can and must be a place for people who have gotten rid of contempt and hatred.”

Saturday’s commemorations were part of the three-day “Light for Paweł Adamowicz” program and included an interdenominational prayer at 19:30 at St. Mary’s Basilica, followed by a verbal and musical spectacle at 20:00 featuring Polish artists.

Earlier in the day, the “Kunszt Wodny” Institute of Urban Culture in Gdańsk presented the Paweł Adamowicz Award “for courage and excellence in promoting freedom, solidarity and equality.”

This year’s winner was the “Embassy of Local Democracy in Zavidovici,” an Italian association founded in 1996 during the Balkan Wars. The association advocates for human rights and aims to restore dignity and autonomy to victims of conflict around the world, including refugees and displaced persons in Italy.

Commemorative events are set to continue today, culminating in the concert “An Evening for a Friend,” set for 17:00 this evening at the European Solidarity Center.

More information on today’s events is available on the City of Gdańsk website at gdansk.pl

Source: Radio Gdańsk, gdansk.pl

Weather

Today will be a mix of sun and clouds, with very little chance of rain or snow and strong easterly winds. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a high of 3°C, or 38°F, dropping to just above freezing overnight with a low of 1°C or 34°F. Similar windy weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for more sun but colder temps later in the week.

DŹWIĘK

Elizabeth Peck/aKa