Disinfo: Poland is to blame for being attacked by Stalin in 1939

Summary

On 17 September 1939, the Red Army crossed the Polish border. By this time Polish troops had already been defeated by the Wehrmacht, while the Polish government fled abroad. Regardless of tensions between Moscow and Warsaw, the Red Army did not advance too deep, stopping at the “Curzon Line”. This ethnic border between Poles, on one side and Ukrainians and Belarusians on the other, was established after the WWI and was supposed to become Eastern border of Poland. But Warsaw, taking advantage of the weakness of Soviet Russia after the civil war, occupied these territories. Despite the commonly accepted myth that Poland fell victim of the collusion of two totalitarian regimes, the main satellite of Nazi Berlin in Eastern Europe was actually Warsaw. Poland was the first to conclude a non-aggression pact with Germans back in 1934. The West also forgets that in 1938 Poland participated in the division of Czechoslovakia together with Hitler. The USSR as a response set an ultimatum that Moscow will annul existing non-aggression agreement. Thus, by crossing Polish borders in 1939, the USSR did not violate the international law of those times, unlike it is often being portrayed.

Disproof

This is part of Russian efforts of historical revisionism, in order to portray Russia’s role in World War II as a non-aggressive power and Poland as one of the main culprits of the conflict. The accusation that Polish authorities provoked the Soviet army's intervention in Poland in September 1939 is a clear historical manipulation. It is impossible to compare the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934 with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The former was a standard international agreement aimed at mutual recognition of borders and a declaration that existing political contradictions would be solved through diplomatic tools. On the other hand, it is a proven historical fact that the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact contained the Secret Supplementary Protocol, which assumed the division of Poland and other Eastern European countries between the USSR and Germany. Thus, the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact led to German and Soviet military aggression against Poland in September 1939, which resulted in its complete occupation by Germany and the USSR. As for the Curzon Line, Allies indeed proposed after the WWI to establish it as the Polish border. However, it was not accepted by the Soviets and then lost its significance after the Russo-Polish War. As a result, the Treaty of Riga in 1921 established the Polish border east of the Curzon Line. Last, but not least, regardless of the note sent to the Polish government on 23 September 1939, the USSR never actually terminated its non-aggression agreement with Poland. Moreover, a communication from 27 November 1939 informed that the agreement was extended until 1945. Thus, at the time of the Soviet invasion on Poland on 17 September 1939, the agreement was in place and, as follows, the USSR violated international law. Read full debunk by The Insider. Similar cases about alleged Poland's blame can be found here, here and here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 165
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/09/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: USSR, Poland, Germany
  • Keywords: Historical revisionism, WWII
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Disinfo: Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe breaks ties with Constantinople

Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe breaks ties with Constantinople. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Constantinople [has] de facto turned into a tool of supporters of the New World Order. The destructive position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in such regions as Ukraine and the Balkans are a visible example of this.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory, presented without any evidence. The concept of the New World Order, Shadow Rulers, Deep State and a Global Elite, ruling from behind the curtains is a frequent narrative, used by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets. This narrative is also consistent with a narrative about "The West" challenging traditional values through attacking believes. Similar cases, where traditional values in Europe are attacked through sowing religious conflict can be found here, here and here. The supporters of the idea of subordinating the Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe to Moscow failed to achieve the necessary 2/3 majority. The claim that the "Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe breaks ties with Constantinople" is, therefore, not true.

Disinfo: The US is campaigning against Russia, backing the so-called opposition

The US leadership is carrying out active diplomatic, economic (including sanction pressure) and propaganda campaigns against Russia. The US-NATO military build-up is ongoing along Russian borders in Eastern and Northern Europe. The US and its allies are openly backing the so-called ‘non-system opposition’ in Russia (the part of the opposition that openly aims to overthrow the government by non-constitutional means and destroy the Russian statehood). This ‘opposition’ includes various radicals and destructive forces that employ methods and tools that have been already demonstrated in Ukraine in 2013-14.

Disproof

A conspiracy theory, presented without any evidence. The article is in line with a narrative that protests, in this case in Russia, are always financed by outside forces. The protests in Moscow started in July after the election committee banned opposition candidates from running for the elections to the city council - the Moscow City Duma, disqualifying their ballots because of what officials claimed were irregularities in the 5,000 signatures each had to gather to run. The protesters also demanded the right to fair elections and the right to free assembly - all along the lines of the Russian constitution. See here for EUvsDisinfo analysis of disinformation surrounding protests in Moscow. Similar disinformation cases can be found here.

Disinfo: Liberals advocate cannibalism

Western liberal thought now includes advocacy of cannibalism. Speaking at a recent culinary conference in Sweden — the widely recognized beacon of liberalism — Stockholm-based academic Magnus Söderlund stated that “the conservative taboo against cannibalism may change over time, if people simply try feeding on human flesh.” The liberal professor said that cannibalism could be a means of fighting climate change, given that human flesh is much more environmentally friendly than beef.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative demonizing Western values and painting Europe as a continent of degrading values. The author makes a series of remarkable logical leaps by misquoting one person and presenting the doctored quote as proof of the imminent collapse of Western culture. Söderlund did not advocate cannibalism out of his supposed liberal or environmentalist convictions. In fact, he did not advocate it at all. Although the story of the pro-cannibalism Swedish professor has been reported in Swedish, UK, and US tabloids since at least 5 September, only one website provided enough context to show that Söderlund's remarks were a cautionary tale about the consequences of climate change rather than an invitation to man-eating: "While talking about the Gastro Summit focused on 'food on the future' on Swedish TV, the behavioral scientist and marketing strategist Magnus Söderlund from the Stockholm School of Economics proposed that in order to truly take on the effects of climate change, we must 'awake the idea' that eating human flesh should be discussed as an option in the future." See here for a detailed debunk.