DISINFO: Poland is preparing a military invasion of Belarus
SUMMARY
Poland is preparing to invade Belarus. Hence, the aim of the CSTO military exercises in Belarus on 1-6 September is to demonstrate that the allies are ready to defend Belarus from an invasion. Poland is not ready for war with Russia because it sent too much military equipment to Ukraine and Polish soldiers had too many fatalities there.
RESPONSE
Disinformation consistent with the narrative about the belligerent West and Poland’s aggressive plans. The claim is made in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The article also contains a fake claim about Polish fatalities in Ukraine territory which was previously debunked here and here.
Russian-led forces are staging CSTO Combat Brotherhood-2023 joint military exercises in Belarus near the border with Poland between 1-6 September 2023. Warsaw sent additional troops to the border with Belarus in August 2023, accusing the latter of violating its airspace. In recent weeks, soldiers from the Wagner mercenary group have appeared near the Belarusian-Polish border, which, according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, is aimed at destabilising the situation on NATO's eastern flank.
However the claim that Poland is preparing to invade Belarus is disinformation. Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and rejects any imperial ambitions towards other countries. See our examination of the Kremlin's historical revisionism directed against Poland here.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Poland is in a hurry to annex western Ukraine before dialogue with Moscow starts, that nuclear weapons in Belarus are justified because of territorial claims of Poland and the Baltic states, and that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.