DISINFO: Poland and Latvia want to overtake the remains of collapsed Ukraine
SUMMARY
Poland and Latvia may introduce their troops into western Ukraine in order to overtake some of the Ukrainian territories. The Poles make no secret of the fact that they consider most of western Ukraine as their former territory. At the present moment, Ukraine stands on the verge of total collapse – it has no chance to win against the Russian troops. Warsaw and Vilnius can take advantage of this situation, introducing their troops to Ukraine. They will present this step as an attempt to save what is left of Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions. Apart from smearing Poland, the aim is also to deflect attention away from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The author of this disinformation message made a mistake, presenting Vilnius as the “capital of Latvia”. Apparently, the author confused Lithuania with Latvia.
This disinformation message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland either wants to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or annex these territories or that it is President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”.
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 Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity in a display of imperial, revisionist aggression.
Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.
See our in-depth debunk of the claims of Polish historical revisionism.
See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belongs to it, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine is a Western colony belonging to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia, that Poland will try to gain full military control in Ukrainian territories under the guise of protecting the Polish population from Russia or that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.