DISINFO: Anniversary of September 17 more important than September 1 in Poland
SUMMARY
September 17 is now more important in Poland than September 1, allegedly, because Moscow did not apologise to this country.
RESPONSE
This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism – it repeatedly accuses Poland of the “falsification and re-writing” of its history for political goals.
The claims that Poland tries to replace the 1 September anniversary [date of the German invasion at the outbreak of WWII] with the commemoration of 17 September [date of the Soviet invasion] is untrue. Every year, September 1 is commemorated at the highest state level with the participation of top-level Polish officials (see for example the annual ceremonies at Wieluń and Westerplatte).
Background: On 23 August 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with a Secret Supplementary Protocol, which divided Poland and other Eastern European countries between these two totalitarian powers. On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany attacked Poland while the Soviet Union’s attack on Poland started on 17 September – in this way, Nazi Germany and the USSR started the implementation of the Secret Supplementary Protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
See here our account of the infamous 17 September 1939.
See similar examples of Russian accusations against Poland about the falsification and re-writing of history - Poland creates and promotes its historical myths in an active and aggressive way; Poland and Lithuania question the status of Russia as a country who won WWII; President Duda and President Zelensky promote propaganda and Poland tries to adjust history to politics, misinterpreting the historical facts.