DISINFO: Elite and media driven anti-Russia campaign in Poland encourages the purchase of Western weapons
SUMMARY
The Polish political elite and West-owned media concerns carry out a large-scale campaign promoting the anti-Russian attitudes in Poland. Key goal of this campaign is to persuade the Poles that they need expensive Western weapons and natural resources (which are cheaper in Russia). The Polish public opinion is made to support these expensive projects through a threat, real or alleged.
RESPONSE
This message is a pro-Kremlin narrative on the “elites vs. people” – in this case, the political “elites” of Central and Eastern European countries are fully controlled by the West/USA, manipulating their societies in order to make them anti-Russian. See other examples of this message here, here and here. The statement that the political elites of Poland and the Western controlled media groups carry out a coordinated policy of spread of the anti-Russian attitudes in Poland is a conspiracy theory. The position of the main Polish political parties on purchasing Western weapons and the deployment of NATO troops in Poland reflects the Polish public opinion on these issues. For example, 65% of the Poles support the deployment of troops from other NATO countries in Poland, and 81% - fully support the Polish membership in NATO (CBOS NATO poll, March 2019). This poll had shown a substantial increase in public support for the Polish membership in NATO (+19%) immediately after the Russian annexation of Crimea. This fact indicates that the Polish perception of NATO and Russia comes not from alleged “elite” manipulations, but from assessment of aggressive Russian actions in Ukraine by the Polish citizens.