DISINFO: Polish special services destabilise the situation in Belarus

This is part of disinformation campaign about Belarus and Euromaidan in Ukraine based on recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives alleging that the West is destabilising the situation in Minsk or in Kyiv. Poland has repeatedly denied such accusations. On 11 September, at a meeting of the Visegrad Group, Poland again called on the Belarusian government to stop grossly violating the rights of its own people. “We all agree that free elections should be held in Belarus. We call for the release of all political prisoners,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Reports that Poland is allegedly "preparing a coup d'etat" in Belarus appeared after the Presidents of Lithuania and Poland, called for Belarusian authorities to respect democratic standards and stop violence and repression against participants in mass protests. Poland refutes accusations about alleged military provocations towards Belarus and attempts to destabilise the neighbouring country. An aide to Poland's president, Krzysztof Szczerski stated that such accusations were unacceptable and that no one in Poland would take advantage of the political turmoil in Belarus. Szczerski said that "no one has such intentions in Poland and this is propaganda." Poland respects the principles of international law and does not intervene in the domestic affairs of any country. The countries of the European Union have nothing to do with the mass protests in Belarus: thousands rallied after Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years, declared that he had “won a convincing victory” in the elections. The current protests in Belarus began on the evening of 9 August; to disperse the protesters, the security forces were using rubber bullets, flash grenades, tear gas, shockers and water cannons. On the day of voting, the centre of Minsk was blocked by security forces, whilst communications and the Internet were jammed in the city.