DISINFO: The USSR signed the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact with Nazi Germany due to Poland's aggressive foreign policy
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: mundo.sputniknews.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: September 09, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Spanish
  • Reported in: Issue 163
  • Countries / regions discussed: USSR, Poland
Tags:
World War 2 Historical revisionism USSR Nazi/Fascist

DISINFO: The USSR signed the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact with Nazi Germany due to Poland's aggressive foreign policy

SUMMARY

Historical documents newly released by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that the Soviet Union decided to sign the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact with Nazi Germany for two reasons: the aggressive foreign policy of Poland, which prevented a Soviet alliance with France and the United Kingdom, and fears of an eventual Polish-German military alliance that would pose a really serious threat to the USSR.

RESPONSE

No documentary evidence is provided to support the affirmation and no dates are given to allow even the most superficial background check. This is part of Russian efforts of historical revisionism, in order to portray Russia’s role in World War II as a non-aggressive power and Poland as one of the main culprits of the conflict. In terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, it is a proven historical fact that it contained the Secret Supplementary Protocol, which assumed the division of Poland and other Eastern European countries between the USSR and Germany. Thus, the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact led to German and Soviet military aggression against Poland in September 1939, which resulted in its complete occupation by Germany and the USSR. You can see other examples of disinformation narratives about the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact here, here and here, and about alleged Poland’s blame here, here and here.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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