DISINFO: Poland wants to attack Belarus using the Nazi pattern of 1939
SUMMARY
There are seven so-called [Belarusian] banner units within Poland, preparing for terrorist attacks in Belarus and the takeover of facilities there. The most aggressive unit is being trained in Białystok. This group is led by a Belarusian citizen who once studied at the country’s military academy and then fled abroad. The Belarusian authorities know the names of Poland’s secret service employees supervising the activities of this unit. These groups are planning to implement provocations similar to the 1939 methods when the Germans started WWII, dressing their soldiers in Polish uniforms.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread disinformation narrative about a militaristic anti-Russian Poland, which is ready to attack Belarus and overthrow Lukashenka.
The claim that Poland plans a military attack on Belarus is baseless. After the violent crackdown of the 2020 protests by Lukashenka, tens of thousands of Belarusians moved to Poland in order to avoid repressions. The claim that the Belarusian oppositional groups and associations functioning in Poland are planning any military attack on Belarus is groundless.
The ongoing modernisation of the Polish Army and purchases of advanced military equipment is a Polish response to the current security crisis taking place in Eastern Europe – this situation is a result of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 2020 National Security Strategy of Poland states that the most serious security threat for this country is the neo-imperial policy of the authorities of the Russian Federation, pursued by means of military force (aggression against Georgia, illegal annexation of Crimea and military actions in eastern Ukraine).
See other examples of similar messages claiming that constant intimidation with Russia is used to make Poland economically dependent on the USA, the Polish authorities created an insane hysteria of intimidation with Russia, used for the needs of domestic politics and the Polish authorities want to use the Army to fight domestic riots, not Russia.