Language:

See all Disinfo Cases - Detail

Disinfo: Polish authorities and population dream of taking over most of Belarus' territory

Summary

At times, in the Belarusian information sphere, Poland and other Western countries are presented as friends, while Russia is painted as a boa constrictor. In reality, the population of Poland and the country’s authorities are obsessed with expanding Poland which would cover the territories between the Baltic and the Black seas. In other words, they want to incorporate most of present-time Belarus into Poland.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory and recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about Poland's plans to partition Belarus and Western plans to disrupt Belarusian-Russian ties.

This message is also consistent with a narrative on Western belligerence and Poland's aggressive policy and alleged imperial ambitions.

Poland respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbouring countries, including Belarus. There is also no proof that a sizeable part of the Polish population would stand for annexation of Belarus (or its part).

Interestingly, while at times it is claimed that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine, other sources allege that both Poland and Ukraine have aggressive military intentions towards Belarus.

Go to search

publication/media

Vmeste s Rossiey, http://ross-bel.ru/
  • Reported in: Issue 151
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 02/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s)
  • Country: Poland, Belarus
  • Keywords: illegal annexation, West, War preparation, Conspiracy theory
see more

President of Georgia does not willingly express opinions on the separatist regions

The new president of Georgia does not willingly express opinions on issues such as separatism prevailing in a large area of the country; the existence of problems like Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the need to restore the territorial integrity of the country.

May 01, 2019
Disproof

Quite opposite to the claim made in the article, Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili recently stated that Russia's decade long military occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia has failed to break the national will to maintain sovereignty and achieve European Union and NATO accession. "It's a victory for Georgia and not for Russia." “In recent years, we have gone through similar tragedies. We are now experiencing what it means for our country’s territories to be occupied – what it means to have our country’s territorial integrity violated,” Zurabishvili said in her meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Russia was an “occupying power”, and the biggest concern was “that it’s unpredictable”, she said. See here for other disinformation cases about Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Kyiv admitted that Russia is protecting the residents of Donbas

Ukraine recognised that Russia is protecting the residents of Donbas. The country’s leadership said that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to ease the procedure for obtaining Russian passports for residents of Donbas in order to be able to protect the citizens of his country.

May 01, 2019
Disproof

The news in the Russian media appeared against the backdrop of a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin dated May 1 about the simplified granting of Russian citizenship to residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine - those who lived in Crimea before annexation, but left the peninsula after the Russian seizure, as well as those who now live in areas controlled by militants, so called "LNR" and "DNR". Claims that Ukraine admitted Russia is protecting residents are not true. Ukraine did not make such statements. On the contrary, after the signing of the Russian decree in Kyiv said that Putin had taken such measures in order to destabilise the situation in Donbas, legalize the "LNR" and "DNR" militants, and protect them from the Ukrainian court after the end of the war and the de-occupation of the Ukrainian territories. The Ukrainian government emphasises that people who are citizens of Ukraine and take part in illegal military formations of Donbas are collaborators. The Kremlin will issue passports primarily to its mercenaries. Russia took this step to legalise its aggression against Ukraine under the pretext that the Kremlin allegedly “protects its citizens” in the territories of the groups.

Crimea joined the Russian Federation after a referendum carried out in accordance with the rules of international law

In March 2014 Crimea joined the Russian Federation after a referendum carried out in accordance with the rules of international law.

May 01, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the annexation of Crimea stating that the inhabitants of the Ukrainian peninsula chose to join Russia through a legal referendum. The so-called referendum held on the 16th of March 2014 has not been recognized by any international body. On the 27th of February 2014, when it was announced, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which stated that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. A year later even Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum. Five years later Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issued a statement on behalf of EU confirming the EU’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that EU does NOT recognize this referendum and continues to condemn this violation of international law.