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Disinfo: Poland creates and promotes its historical myths in an active and aggressive way

Summary

Today, Poland actively and aggressively promotes its vision of history and the post-Yalta world order. Most probably, there is no such country in the EU, which creates and implements its historical policy and historical myths in such a way as Poland.

Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism – it accuses Poland in “falsification and re-writing” of its history. According to this policy, the Russian official historiography is the only “true” way of interpretation of historical events for the countries of Eastern and Central Europe.

The Polish historical policy is based on objective historical facts, shared by the predominant majority of mainstream historians.

First of all, it is an undeniable historical fact that both Nazi Germany and the Stalinist USSR were harsh totalitarian regimes, which directly caused the deaths of tens of millions of people. Secondly, these two regimes are mutually responsible for the outbreak of WWII. It is a fact that the Molotov-Ribbentrop 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 enabled the German and Soviet military aggression against Poland in September 1939, which resulted in the occupation of this country by Germany and USSR, triggering the beginning of WWII.

In 1944-1945 the USSR occupied Poland, establishing the undemocratic and repressive Communist Poland. Poland was kept under the Soviet sphere of influence until 1989.

See similar examples of the Russian historical revisionism concerning this Poland - Signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact thwarted the UK’s expansionist plans in Europe, The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact did not violate the rights of the Polish state, The shift of all blame for WWII outbreak at the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact the best example of manipulation of history.

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publication/media

Sputnik Poland (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 185
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 21/02/2020
  • Language/target audience: Polish
  • Country: Poland
  • Keywords: Historical revisionism, WWII

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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February 21, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that Ukraine refuses to implement the Minsk agreements, undermining the statehood of Ukraine and alleging that Ukraine is a state under foreign control.

Since 2014, negotiations with Russia to resolve the conflict in the Donbas have been held within the framework of the Normandy Format and the Minsk process. A special Trilateral contact group is working on a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas. Three parties are involved in this process: representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE. Unofficially, representatives of the so-called "LDNR" factions are also present. Ukraine is not the only party to the conflict in the Donbas. In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia's military presence in Ukraine.

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Disproof

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February 21, 2020
Disproof

Russian officials were angered by PACE Resolution No. 2325, which concerns countries under the control of the Parliamentary Assembly. Among other things, the document contains criticisms of Russia's anti-democratic actions both domestically and in relation to other countries. The resolution says that “Russia is reinforcing the negative tendencies of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”, continues to establish “borders” and carries out the “creeping annexation of the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia”, and also continues the “illegal annexation of Crimea and military aggression in the east of Ukraine.”

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