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Poland's military strengthening is a threat to Russia and the goal is to annex western Ukraine, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.
Propaganda: Russia is threatened by the Polish army that will try to occupy some Ukrainian regions
NEWS: Defense Minister Serghei Shoigu told a meeting of the ministerial college that Poland had turned into the main instrument of the US anti-Russian policy. Warsaw started to massively buy armaments from other states. These actions are a great risk for Russia. According to the minister, Poland has plans to annex western Ukraine, and for this purpose a special Polish-Ukrainian battalion will be created.
“Taking into account the military forces of Eastern Europe, 360,000 soldiers, 8,000 armored personnel carriers, 6,000 mortar artillery units, 650 airplanes and helicopters are deployed near the Russia-Belarus Union. The number of military personnel of non-regional NATO states has increased 2.5 times compared to February 2022 and has exceeded 30 thousand people”, the minister stressed [...].
The head of the Ministry of Defense said that the listed factors were a threat to Russia's security, requiring "an operative and appropriate reaction". "The necessary measures to neutralize these risks will be discussed and we will take certain decisions in this regard," he said.
During the meeting of the ministerial college, some proposals regarding the creation of Leningrad and Moscow military constituencies were analyzed, to strengthen the presence of Russian troops on its western borders".
NARRATIVE: Poland is strengthening its army in order to attack Russia and occupy western Ukraine.
Reality: Poland is strengthening its army for fear of a Russian invasion in the context of the war in Ukraine
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is rehashing the metanarrative of Russia as a fortress under siege, but using it against Poland, which is heavily supporting Ukraine against the background of Moscow's full-scale invasion started last year. According to the arguments presented by Shoigu, compared to February 2022, the number of soldiers, planes, armored vehicles and tanks on NATO's eastern flank has increased, and Poland is strengthening its armed forces. All of this would pose a threat to Russia and its ally Belarus, which could be attacked at any time. In addition, Poland's initiatives to support Ukraine are seen as an attempt to occupy the western Ukrainian regions.
Sergei Shoigu and the entire propaganda system of the Russian Federation disregard the context of the information. In reality, Poland is strengthening its armed forces for fear of a hypothetical Russian invasion.
The war in Ukraine is a major security threat, which is why NATO has strengthened its presence in the regions bordering the Ukrainian state. These are reactions to Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine, and not actions that threaten the Russian state with anything. Also, in the context of information about the deployment of mercenaries of the Wagner group on Belarusian territory, Poland strengthened its eastern border for fear of Russian and Belarusian provocations. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country would continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's full-scale invasion. “If Kyiv falls, Russia will attack Poland”, the politician said in November 2022, arguing the need to strengthen the armed forces.
So, Warsaw's actions are not driven by a desire to expand territorially to the detriment of Ukraine, which would contradict its EU and NATO membership, but by the fear that Poland will be Russia's next target. Moreover, sociological polls show Russia as the main enemy of Poles.
It should be noted that Poland has been the most vocal and active neighbor of Ukraine in combating Russian aggression and supporting Kyiv's defensive efforts. Polish leaders support Ukraine and say that the territorial integrity of the neighboring state is very important for international law. Poland, Lithuania and other states collaborate with Ukraine within security structures that deal with military training, including in the Chernihiv or Lviv region. Most of the foreign nationals fighting against the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine, including Poles, belong to the International Legion, subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, and cannot act against the interests of Ukraine.
This false narrative is a continuation of those of the past, but this time spoken by a minister. In July this year, Russian propaganda was trying to convince public opinion that Ukraine would be annexed to Poland, to be part of NATO and the EU. The Russian press wrote that a referendum on joining Poland will be held in the Lviv region, after which Warsaw will start a war against Russia. Moscow publications tried to convince public opinion that Poland would collaborate with Hungary and Romania to seize part of Ukraine.
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