Poland opens new sea waterway to cut dependence from Russia

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s top leaders celebrated the opening of a new canal that they say will mean ships no longer must secure Russia’s permission to sail from the Baltic Sea to Vistula Lagoon ports. The event on Saturday was timed to mark 83 years since the Soviet invasion of Poland during World War II and symbolically cut the long regional dependence. The canal cost almost 2 billion zlotys ($420 million). It was designed to allow ships to sail from the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Gdansk to Polish ports in the lagoon, without obtaining authorization to travel through Russia’s Strait of Pilawa. However, cargo ships can’t use the passage until the approach to the port of Elblag is deepened.