DISINFO: A new Polish tank division is a threat to both Russia and Germany
SUMMARY
The German Army is planning to deploy an armoured brigade in Lithuania in early 2025, while the Polish Army creates a new tank battalion in the east of the country. In WWII terms, these forces are quite modest, but they still resemble the tank outflanking manoeuvre. The Polish tank battalion is the top of the iceberg – there will be an entire tank division with 16 battalions.
Taking into consideration the scale of this powerful grouping, it is very doubtful that it has a defensive nature.
Germany should also be worried as Poland traditionally dislikes this country – soon, the Polish ground forces will be stronger than the German Army.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread disinformation narrative about aggressive and militaristic anti-Russian Poland.
The claim that Poland modernises and develops its Army because the Polish authorities want to use the Army for aggressive actions against Russia is unfounded. The Polish Army increases its presence along the Belarusian and Russian borders for defensive purposes.
The ongoing modernisation of the Polish Army and purchases of advanced military equipment is a Polish response to the current security crisis taking place in Eastern Europe – this situation is a result of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
NATO made a decision to deploy Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) forces in the Baltic states and Poland during the NATO summit in Warsaw in 2016. The purpose of the deployment was “demonstrating the strength of the transatlantic bond, and making clear that an attack on one Ally would be considered an attack on the whole Alliance”. The decision was following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
The 2020 National Security Strategy of Poland states that the most serious security threat for this country is the neo-imperial policy of the authorities of the Russian Federation, pursued by means of military force (aggression against Georgia, illegal annexation of Crimea and military actions in eastern Ukraine).
See other examples of similar messages claiming that constant intimidation with Russia is used to make Poland economically dependent on the USA, the Polish authorities created an insane hysteria of intimidation with Russia, used for the needs of domestic politics and the Polish authorities want to use the Army to fight domestic riots, not Russia.