DISINFO: A NATO invasion of Belarus is contained by Russian nuclear doctrine
SUMMARY
Poland views a part of Belarus as its own territory. With active support from Poland and other NATO countries, Belarusian fascists based outside Belarus may attack the country. In reality, they will only be a cover as NATO troops will be engaged. This would be part of a Western operation to start a full-scale war against Russia and to eventually destroy Russia. This is why the Russian nuclear doctrine protects Belarus.
RESPONSE
Poland is repeatedly presented by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets as an aggressive anti-Russian NATO ‘outpost’ with imperial ambitions, which allegedly pose a security threat to Russia and Belarus. This is in line with how pro-Kremlin outlets portray NATO and Western countries as aggressive towards Russia. See our article All roads lead to Poland.
The article also labelled exiled Belarusians and volunteers fighting for Ukraine as ‘fascists,’ which is part of the regular practice of pro-Kremlin outlets to portray disliked actors and countries as Nazis and fascists. There is no proof of any Polish plans or capabilities to use Belarusian diasporas in an attack on Belarusian territory.
On 19 November 2024, Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, under which, among other things, an attack on Belarus can meet the criteria for a nuclear response. This is part of Russia's threatening nuclear rhetoric and actions, which has grown since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries, and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Poland, as well as the EU and the US, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belarus and Ukraine.
NATO is a defensive alliance whose purpose is to protect its member states. The Alliance does not seek confrontation with Russia. NATO's objectives are set out in the 1949 Washington Treaty that forms the legal basis of the alliance. The treaty states that parties ‘are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security’. Following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries revised their Strategic Concept. The North Atlantic Alliance has recognised Russia as “the most significant and direct threat” to security in Europe. However, paragraph 9, emphasises that “NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to the Russian Federation.”
See earlier disinformation cases claiming that President Duda made Polish territorial claims on Belarus and Ukraine, that updated Russian nuclear doctrine kills Western dreams about Übermenschen, that the West wants to draw Belarus into the conflict in order to use tactical nuclear weapons, and that Poland plans to use Belarusian Nazi units to attack Belarusian towns.