Disinfo: The recent Polish diplomatic misfortunes is a sign of the return of the “Concert of Powers”

Summary

Poland is accused by the leading American politicians such as Barack Obama of being an undemocratic country. The USA makes strategic decisions such as the Nord Stream 2 sanctions over the head of Poland. We know well that the German sanctions imposed on Russia are being evaded – their trade is booming in such strategic spheres as energy. The Polish President Andrzej Duda did not have official meetings at the recent NATO’s summit what was a big blow to Polish diplomacy. The Polish Foreign Minister found out about the withdrawal of the Nord Stream 2 sanctions from the media…

All these developments confirm the process of return of the “concert of powers” concept and the division of the regional spheres of influence.

Disproof

This message presents the idea that the United States and Russia decided to “divide” the world into their “spheres of influence” as it was during the Cold War. It also promotes the idea that the USA and Russia will decide the “fate” of smaller countries by themselves (as it was assumed by the concept of the “Concert of Powers” in the XIX century).

For years, the Kremlin has tried to convince the USA to return to the Cold War practice of division of the regional spheres of influence (calling it a “big deal”), but this demand is rejected by the USA and EU. According to US State Secretary Blinken, the concept of having spheres of influence should have disappeared after WWII – the USA does not recognise such a concept and the Russian claims for “control” over post-Soviet countries.

The recent true or imaginary misfortunes of Polish diplomacy do not create any ground for the claim that the USA decided to divide the regional spheres of influence with Russia. The recent Putin-Biden meeting did not end in any visible breakthrough. The US President confirmed all the previous demands to Russia, such as the need to observe international law and Human Rights and to stop the aggressive Russian policies.

The claim that Germany does not observe the introduced economic sanctions against Russia is ungrounded.

Read other cases promoting the idea that the USA will not defend its Eastern European allies: the US always abandons its alliesUS troops will not defend Poland in case of a Russian attack and the USD will fulfil NATO’s Article 5 only if it is required by its national interests.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 249
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17/06/2021
  • Article language(s) Polish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Germany, US, Russia
  • Keywords: US presence in Europe, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Sanctions, Diplomacy with Russia, NATO, Andrzej Duda, Cold War, Nord Stream 2
see more

Disinfo: "Russia must be destroyed" is an integral part of US politics and ideology

The western countries were fine with a weak Russia. However, as soon as a revival of the Russian economy started and the country announced its status as a global power, it was accused of human rights violations, interference in domestic affairs of the US, Ukraine, and other foreign countries, cyberattacks, etc. The saying "Carthage must be destroyed" has been converted into "Russia must be destroyed" which has become an integral part of US politics and ideology.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narrative about ubiquitous Russophobia and a belligerent agenda against Russia. As explained in our analysis, a variety of events, be it the situation around Alexei Navalny, protests in Belarus or COVID-19 pandemic are presented by pro-Kremlin media outlets as a massive Western attack on Russia.

Russia's criticism concerning human rights violations, interference in Ukraine, US elections follows not from Russophobia and the West's intention to weaken Russia, but is based on factual evidence behind these accusations.

Disinfo: US sanctions only invigourated Russia's economy

US sanctions against Russia can be described by the saying "all the steam went into the whistle"... The "economic" sanctions that were implemented only led to the development of some sectors of the economy that had been stagnating.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Western sanctions against Russia are ineffective.

This kind of claim, which is not backed by evidence, has been clearly challenged by research that points out that sanctions have worked as planned, noting the drag they have imposed on Russia’s general economic development since 2014. This adverse effect most likely operates by depressing both foreign trade and foreign capital flows into Russia. Or as The Washington Post said: "The sanctions have stunted Russian economic growth and sapped the urban middle class of wealth and opportunity."

Disinfo: CEO of Ryanair reveals reasons for pilot’s landing in Minsk

The CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, confirmed that the pilot could not do anything other than land at Minsk after being informed of a bomb threat by Belarusian authorities.

Disproof

A recurring disinformation narrative that attempts to justify the forced landing of Ryanair flight 4978 in Minsk by Belarusian authorities in May 2021 with Belarusian dissident Raman Pratasevich on board. This article in particular deliberately misrepresents the evidence provided by Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, to the British Transport Select Committee on 15 June 2021.

The article heavily implies that the pilot of the Ryanair flight simply followed safety procedure and voluntarily landed in Minsk after being informed of a bomb threat. However, the staff of the plane, including the pilots, have stressed that their actions were not voluntary and that they were, in effect, forced to land in Minsk by Belarusian authorities. At the time, the plane was twice as close to Vilnius compared to Minsk. The Belarusian air force scrambled a MiG-29 jet fighter to coerce the passenger plane to turn for Minsk a few miles before entering Lithuanian air space. Moreover, there were Belarusian intelligence agents onboard the passenger plane who interfered with the work of the crew.