Disinfo: Poland uses Lublin Triangle and ongoing protests in Belarus to revive its domination in the region

Summary

In the situation of intense protests in Belarus, the Baltic states and, particularly, Poland, showed unusual political activity. Unexpectedly, Warsaw called upon the EU to affect the situation in Minsk imposing the sanctions against Moscow. This situation is not a coincidence. The Poles have dreamed about the domination over the region since the times of Rzeczpospolita, which included Lithuania, part of modern Ukraine and Belarus. Today, the idea of Marshal Pilsudski to revive Poland “from Sea to Sea” is more popular than ever. Eleven days before the Presidential Elections in Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine established a new union – the so-called Lublin Triangle, by analogy with the Union of Lublin, which laid the foundation for Rzeczpospolita in 1569. Belarus was immediately invited as a member of honour. There is one more interesting detail – since 2008, Warsaw has been actively issuing to the former USSR citizens the Card of Pole – the Belarusians have received the largest number of these Cards. The ongoing disturbances in Belarus is a good and long-awaited chance for those who are looking for a revanche [Poland].

Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism alleging that Poland has imperialist plans for Belarus. The Kremlin-controlled media regularly accuses the political elites of Poland in Russophobia and attempts to “subordinate Belarus and Ukraine”. Moreover, the Kremlin propagandist messages repeatedly claim that all the regional organisations established by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are aimed against Russia (Eastern Partnership, Three-Seas Initiative, Lublin Triangle, etc.). Poland fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Belarus, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours, and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. The Lublin Triangle is a new regional initiative that will focus on developing and enhancing the economic, political, and cultural ties of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania. It will also serve as an important mechanism for strengthening Central Europe and promoting Ukraine's European and Euroatlantic integration. In a Joint Declaration, the foreign ministers of the three countries emphasized that the countries are committed to upholding the international law, to broaden military-to-military cooperation, to further support the Eastern Partnership program, among other things. Recently, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Lublin Triangle members have presented their common statement protesting against massive violence against peaceful protestors carried out by the Belarusian authorities. Read related examples of the Russian disinformation messages: The Lublin triangle is an anti-Russian coalition of Russophobes, Polish authorities are obsessed with an idea of reconstruction of a modern Polish empire, The Giedroyc Doctrine is an edition of the Polish imperialism and Poland continues to tear off Ukraine and Belarus from Russia even during the pandemic.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 208
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/08/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Historical revisionism, Imperialism/colonialism, Anti-Russian, Encircling Russia, Protest, Sanctions, Conspiracy theory, Baltic states
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Disproof

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Disproof

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Disproof

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