DISINFO: Poland is actively assimilating the Ukrainian territory
SUMMARY
Poland begins active assimilation of the Ukrainian territory.
We see that behind the talk about the inadmissibility of any dialogue with Russia, Polish colleagues are beginning to actively assimilate Ukrainian territory.
And the relevant decisions made by President Zelensky and the Verkhovna Rada on the special rights of Poles, which are essentially equalised with Ukrainians in everything except the right to vote, and the recent message that Poland is already creating some kind of parallel system control of the tax service of Ukraine - all this says a lot quite eloquently.
RESPONSE
Recurring narrative presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions.
The claim that Poland begins assimilation of the Ukrainian territories is ungrounded. Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.
This narrative exploits difficult issues in Polish-Ukrainian history, without any factual basis.
Poland was the first country to recognise Ukraine’s independence, in 1991. Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Instead, Poland is supporting Ukrainian refugees coming to Poland; it is allowing millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war access to the labour market and to health and social benefits. Moreover Poland is also activly supporting Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
On 12 March 2022 the Polish parliament passed an act on assistance for Ukrainian nationals in connection with Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The special purpose act, in addition to regulating a number of issues related to the refugee’s stay in Poland, allows for favorable tax treatment of humanitarian aid expenditures incurred by corporations.
In return, Ukrainian President Zelensky intends to submit a draft bill to the Verkhovna Rada on the status and assistance to Polish citizens in Ukraine, which is similar to the one, which has recently been endorsed by the Sejm of Poland in relation to Ukrainians.
The pro-Kremlin claim that Poland is assimilating Ukrainian territories is manipulation and misrepresentation of this gesture.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.
See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poles are stoking nationalist sentiment in Ukraine in order to annex Lviv, that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belong to them, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine will disintegrate and fall prey to territorial claims of EU member states, that Ukraine is a Western colony belonging to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia, that Poland will try to gain full military control in Ukrainian territories under the guise of protecting the Polish population from Russia, that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.