Poland scrambles aircraft as Russia launches strikes on Ukraine
POLISH and allied aircraft were activated early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched air strikes targeting western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said.
'The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk,' the Command said on X.
All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts as of 0200 GMT on Monday after the Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile and drone attacks.
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The Star
34 minutes ago
- The Star
Ukrainian woman searches for husband lost in action two years ago
CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -When gaunt Ukrainian soldiers dismount from buses as part of prisoner swaps with Russia, Mariia Pylnyk tries to find out anything she can about her missing husband from the freed men, and hopes, just maybe, that he will be among them. Holding up a photograph of Dmytro Pylnyk, lost in action in early 2023, she has many questions. What happened to his unit when it was ambushed by Russian forces? Was he captured by Russia? Could he eventually be released? The mass prisoner swap last month was an opportunity for people like her to ask troops just out of Russian captivity about missing loved ones who they believe, or simply hope, are prisoners of war. The alternative is unthinkable. "I hold out great hope that someone has heard something, seen something," Pylnyk, 29, told Reuters at a recent exchange in May, flanked by other relatives of those missing in action. "My son and I are waiting for (his) dad to come home. Hope dies last. God willing, it'll all be okay and dad will come back." Precise numbers for soldiers missing in action are not made public. For Ukrainians, and for Russians on the other side of the conflict, it can be hard to find out even basic information. Pylnyk says she has written to government agencies and Russian authorities and learned almost nothing. Ukrainian officials say more than 70,000 Ukrainians have been registered missing since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The majority are from the military but the figure also includes civilians. Another 12,000 have been removed from the list after being identified among the dead or returned in exchanges. Petro Yatsenko, a spokesman for the Coordination Council that arranges prisoner swaps from the Ukrainian side, said Russia had never notified Kyiv which soldiers it is holding prisoner. Ukraine collects that data by other means as best it can, he said. Pylnyk and others like her share information in online chat groups and use it to try to piece together what happened. "Misfortune brought us together," she said. "After two years of this, we're like a family." LAST PHONE CALL Dmytro Pylnyk, an electrician by trade, was drafted into the army in late 2022. He phoned home often so that his wife did not worry but last called on their son Artem's third birthday on Feb. 27, 2023. He was deployed from Kharkiv region towards Bakhmut, a small city that later fell to Russian forces after fierce fighting. His unit's convoy was caught in a Russian ambush, Mariia Pylnyk said she had learned. "The guys ran any which way," she said, citing conversations with commanders who told her 41 soldiers were missing in action. Two were captured and have since been released. One, who was freed in an exchange at Easter and had lost both his arms, was unable to share any valuable information, she said. The second refused to talk. The pace of prisoner swaps has increased in the last month. Ukraine and Russia each released 1,000 prisoners in a three-day exchange last month, the only tangible outcome of direct talks in Istanbul. A prisoner swap of under-25s on Monday was the first in a series of exchanges also expected to include each side repatriating the remains of thousands. Mariia Pylnyk has given her son's DNA to the authorities so that if Dmytro is confirmed killed in action they will be notified. "We all understand that this is war and anything is possible. But to this day, I don't believe it and I don't feel that he is dead. I feel like he's alive and God willing he'll return," she said. NO SIGNAL TO CALL She lives with Artem, now five, in Pakul, a village in the northern Chernihiv region that was briefly occupied by Russians. She has not told Artem his father is missing in action. "He knows that dad is a soldier, dad is a good man, dad is at work and just doesn't have any signal to call," she said. She takes comfort from seeing families reunited and never allows herself to cry in front of her son. She used to work in a shop, but Artem has often been ill. The angst of the last two years have taken their toll on her health too. She receives state support. Pylnyk has vowed to find her husband but has often not had time to attend prisoner swaps while looking after their son. "Only a weakling can give up, you know, throw up their hands and say that's it, he's not there," she said, adding that she was very emotional when she attended last month's big exchange. "When I was there, the fighting spirit awoke in me that I needed. I have to do this. Who else will do it but me?" (Editing by Mike Collett-White and Timothy Heritage)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Malaysia thanks Poland for Gaza humanitarian aid
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has conveyed its sincere appreciation to Poland for extending humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, particularly through its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the provision of emergency relief. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Poland's commitment to humanitarian efforts, including airdrops of essential supplies, reflected its principled stance on the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. 'I, on behalf of Malaysia, express my appreciation and thanks for the support for UNRWA and your stance on the two-state solution,' Anwar said at a joint press conference with visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda here today. The Prime Minister also stressed the urgent need for sustained humanitarian access and a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict, describing the situation in Gaza as a matter of global moral responsibility. 'There is a pressing need to secure peace and ensure humanitarian assistance continues to reach Gaza and the occupied territories,' Anwar said. Recently, international media reported that the Polish Embassy in Amman coordinated the delivery of humanitarian aid from Poland to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which included over six tonnes of medicines, powdered milk, essential items for children, hygiene supplies and blankets that arrived in Jordan on April 23 aboard a Polish Armed Forces aircraft. In addition to the Gaza issue, the two leaders also discussed broader global and regional developments, including Malaysia's experience within ASEAN, ties with China and the country's engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This year marks Malaysia's fifth term as ASEAN Chairman, having previously held the chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. On Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated Malaysia's strong advocacy for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict, noting its far-reaching consequences. 'This ongoing conflict is not only a threat to Europe but also to the international community and our economic interests,' he said. Duda is on his first official visit to Malaysia, which comes at a significant moment - coinciding with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship and Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025. Earlier today, Duda was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex, followed by a bilateral meeting with Anwar and an official luncheon hosted by Anwar at the Seri Perdana Complex. According to Wisma Putra, Duda is also scheduled to visit the Second Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps at the Sunggala Camp in Port Dickson and deliver a public lecture at the Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Duda's visit underscores the robust and friendly relations between Malaysia and Poland, which are founded on mutual respect and close cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971. In 2024, Poland ranked as Malaysia's 8th largest trading partner among European Union member states, with total bilateral trade rising by 19.5 per cent to RM5.66 billion compared to 2023. Malaysia's primary exports to Poland include electrical and electronic products, rubber products and machinery, while key imports from Poland consist of machinery, equipment and parts, electrical and electronic products and transport equipment.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Malaysia thanks Poland for Gaza aid, strengthens ties
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has conveyed its sincere appreciation to Poland for extending humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, particularly through its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the provision of emergency relief. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Poland's commitment to humanitarian efforts, including airdrops of essential supplies, reflected its principled stance on the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. 'I, on behalf of Malaysia, express my appreciation and thanks for the support for UNRWA and your stance on the two-state solution,' Anwar said at a joint press conference with visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda here today. The Prime Minister also stressed the urgent need for sustained humanitarian access and a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict, describing the situation in Gaza as a matter of global moral responsibility. 'There is a pressing need to secure peace and ensure humanitarian assistance continues to reach Gaza and the occupied territories,' Anwar said. Recently, international media reported that the Polish Embassy in Amman coordinated the delivery of humanitarian aid from Poland to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which included over six tonnes of medicines, powdered milk, essential items for children, hygiene supplies and blankets that arrived in Jordan on April 23 aboard a Polish Armed Forces aircraft. In addition to the Gaza issue, the two leaders also discussed broader global and regional developments, including Malaysia's experience within ASEAN, ties with China and the country's engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This year marks Malaysia's fifth term as ASEAN Chairman, having previously held the chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. On Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated Malaysia's strong advocacy for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict, noting its far-reaching consequences. 'This ongoing conflict is not only a threat to Europe but also to the international community and our economic interests,' he said. Duda is on his first official visit to Malaysia, which comes at a significant moment - coinciding with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship and Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025. Earlier today, Duda was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex, followed by a bilateral meeting with Anwar and an official luncheon hosted by Anwar at the Seri Perdana Complex. According to Wisma Putra, Duda is also scheduled to visit the Second Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps at the Sunggala Camp in Port Dickson and deliver a public lecture at the Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Duda's visit underscores the robust and friendly relations between Malaysia and Poland, which are founded on mutual respect and close cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971. In 2024, Poland ranked as Malaysia's 8th largest trading partner among European Union member states, with total bilateral trade rising by 19.5 per cent to RM5.66 billion compared to 2023. Malaysia's primary exports to Poland include electrical and electronic products, rubber products and machinery, while key imports from Poland consist of machinery, equipment and parts, electrical and electronic products and transport equipment.
