Anti-Polish Disinformation in Georgia (Part 3)

The material describes circumstantial Russian disinformation messages that have occurred in the Georgian infosphere:

1)

A photograph with the following caption is circulating on social media: ‘Advertising banner in Poland; defend Poland.’ In the photo, we can see the erstwhile commander of the alleged “Wagner Group”, Yevgeny Prigozhin. As a consequence of the information on the poster, 1 gets the impression that the Polish Ministry of Defence is informing citizens of possible danger from the Wagner Group.

The banner, however, is actually fake. akin disinformation – with an identical image – was besides spread on Russian Telegram channels, where it was claimed that the Polish Ministry of Defence had launched an advertising run for contract service in the Polish army.

The Defence Ministry has officially confirmed that the said poster is fake. Moreover, according to the Ministry of Defence press service, no of the departments liable for recruiting candidates for the Polish army is the creator of the mentioned poster.

The Ministry of Defence said their logo was “illegally utilized or forged”. They besides noted that the Polish Ministry of Defence is moving campaigns encouraging Polish citizens to volunteer to join the Polish Army.

2)

On May 16, 2023, Russian propaganda media published an article claiming that radiation levels in Poland had increased due to an detonation in the Khmelnytsky region caused by a Russian rocket attack.

Other Russian-language media outlets besides published akin information, including osnmedia.ru, news22.ru, adi19.ru, news.ru, dzen.ru and riamo.ru.

According to the articles, on May 15, radiation measuring devices in the Polish city of Lublin recorded a sharp increase of about 6-7 times in radiation levels. The articles mention the Telegram channel of Yakov Kedmi, a Kremlin propagandist, claiming that the Polish public believes the radiation threat comes from Ukraine and the Khmelnytskyi region.

Linking the increase in radiation levels in Poland to the Khmelnytsky detonation is manipulation. According to the State Atomic Agency, the short-term increase in bismuth levels is due to natural conditions, and radiation levels are within average limits.

The State Atomic Energy Agency, in a message published on May 17, 2023, dismissed the information being disseminated and said that radiation levels in the country are within average limits. As reported in the statement, the incidental was explained by natural factors, and radiation levels do not endanger human health, life or the environment.

3)

According to 1 post on the social media service: “Poland has decided to enter western Ukraine. I think the Russian flag will flutter in Poland and western Ukraine”.

The Kremlin’s propaganda has systematically spread this communicative since the invasion of Ukraine. No state another than the Russian Federation has attempted to violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Since Russia started the war, there is no evidence that Poland has always planned or is planning an invasion of western Ukraine. Moreover, in this war, Poland is 1 of Ukraine’s main allies, continuing to supply military, financial, humanitarian and diplomatic support to Kyiv. The Polish President, as well as another Polish officials, have continually stressed the importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The free, independent and sovereign Ukraine will be in relationship with the free, sovereign and independent Poland – for the sake of the happiness and common cooperation of our states and people”, said Polish president Andrzej Duda during his speech at the Council of Ukraine.

It is worth recalling the disinformation activities of May 2022, erstwhile a fake order appeared on Twitter ordering the Polish Armed Forces to prepare to enter western Ukraine. In consequence to the post, an authoritative message from the Armed Forces General Command said: “The full paper is fake! We are seeing more and more of these fake military papers in the Polish mass media. delight do not share fake news”. The same allegation was answered by Secretary of State of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Deputy Minister Coordinator of peculiar Services, Stanisław Żaryn, according to whom Russia is continuing its information operation against Poland and spreading false information as if Poland intends to annex western Ukraine.

Claims that Poland intends to occupy part of Ukraine’s territory are heard not only in the Russian media and on the internet, but besides from high-level officials. akin statements were made, for example, by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu, safety Council Deputy president Dmitry Medvedev, Intelligence Chief Sergei Naryshkin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and abroad Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin himself stated on November 4, 2022, during a gathering with historians, that “the thought of business of Ukraine inactive exists in Poland”.

The Kremlin’s goal in actively spreading this communicative is to challenge the legitimacy of Ukrainian statehood, destruct Polish-Ukrainian relations and justify its own imperialist aspirations by portraying Poland as a state with expansive ambitions. On the 1 hand, the aforementioned disinformation supports Moscow’s communicative that Ukraine is simply a state artificially created by Vladimir Lenin so that it can be just as artificially disintegrated and divided by its neighbours. On the another hand, the communicative that Poland plans to occupy western Ukraine justifies and legitimises Russia’s business of Ukrainian territories because, according to Russia, if another European country can occupy Ukrainian territory, so can Russia. Finally, since part of the sovereign territories of modern Ukraine actually erstwhile belonged to Poland, this disinformation is aimed at straining relations between Ukraine and Poland, stirring up territorial disputes and feuds so that Ukraine, facing war with Russia, will lose 1 of its most crucial supporters.

4)

The pro-Russian online news agency Georgia and World has spread another fake news communicative about Poland.

Translation of the material:

One of France’s largest tv channels, LCI, reported that Poland and the Baltic states are considering sending troops to Ukrainian territory – Telegram’s InfoDefense channel reports.

LCI is 1 of the most popular and, at the same time, Russophobic tv channels in France. Millions of French people watch it all day.

According to the French, Poland and the Baltic states are seriously considering introducing troops into Ukrainian territory. Anonymous sources of French experts in the Polish government say that the Poles are now waiting for the final results of the Ukrainian counterattack and offensive actions by Russian troops. If it becomes clear that Russia is winning the war in Ukraine, the Poles may send a division this year that will include Poles, Baltic states, any Ukrainians and possibly any more Europeans.

The French besides say that, according to the Poles, the war in Ukraine is an existential war for Poland. “Poles believe that if the Russians are not stopped in Ukraine, they will enter the Baltic states, Poland, Moldova and Georgia next”.

Author: dr Grigol Julukhidze

Public task financed by the Ministry of abroad Affairs of the Republic of Poland within thegrant comp etition “Public Diplomacy 2023”