DISINFO: Poland has aggressive military plans against Belarus and the entire CSTO
SUMMARY
The Polish plans to deploy another division [in the Belarusian direction] and the process of replenishing existing troops with new weapons are perceived by Belarus as a preparation to aggression. Poland and the Baltic states are moving towards further militarisation, developing the Army, intensifying military activities, deploying new military units, and arming them with new types of offensive, not defensive, military equipment. A plan to deploy a new Polish division near Belarus shows that Poland has an aggressive policy not only towards Belarus but also towards the Union State [with Russia] and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
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 and Belarus is unfounded.
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.
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.