Poland warned that Russia could take advantage of tensions with Ukraine
Russia has stepped up its disinformation campaigns to heighten tensions between Poland and Ukraine and to undermine Ukrainian refugees’ trust in the authorities in Kyiv.
According to Censor.NET, which cites RMF24, this was stated by Tomasz Semoniak, the minister coordinating the special services.
Details
He was asked whether the intelligence services had recently observed increased activity by bot farms in connection with the conflict between Poland and Ukraine.
"Of course, yes. This information war has been escalated to a much higher level. ... It’s very easy to add fuel to the fire right now, and that’s a problem, because Russia’s goal has been and remains to maximize tensions between Poland and Ukraine. We must bear in mind that Russian intelligence services will try to take advantage of these tensions," Semonyak explained.
The minister was also asked to comment on a statement by the Internal Security Agency, which reported the discovery of a "mechanism for using Ukrainian refugees in Poland for activities initiated and financed by Russia."
According to Semonyak, the scheme is aimed at "undermining the trust of Ukrainians in Poland in the current Ukrainian government and President Zelenskyy, as well as at stoking tensions in Polish-Ukrainian relations."
"This is an attempt to influence Ukrainians living in Poland, in particular by undermining their ties to the Ukrainian government. This serves Russia's interests… It is an extremely dangerous tactic," he added.
The Scandal Involving the Unit Named After the Heroes of the UIA
- Tensions in Ukrainian-Polish relations flared up after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on May 26 conferring the honorary title "Named After the Heroes of the UPA" on the "North" Special Operations Center of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The text of the document stated that the decision was made with the aim of "restoring the historical traditions of the national army."
- On May 29, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced his intention to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle—Poland’s highest honor, which was awarded to him in 2023 by then-Polish President Andrzej Duda.
- Lech Wałęsa, former president of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, ostentatiously removed the pin featuring the Ukrainian flag that he always wore as a sign of protest and accused Zelenskyy of "honoring UPA bandits," which, he said, "offended him personally and all the Poles who were killed."
- Bartosz Cichocki, the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ukraine, officially returned the Order "For Merit," which Zelenskyy had awarded him in 2022, in response to this same decision.
- Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau at the Office of the President of Poland, stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally call his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, and officially apologize for naming a Special Operations Forces unit "after the Heroes of the UPA."
- Subsequently, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle, amid a scandal over the naming of an elite unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces after the Heroes of the UIA.
