DISINFO: Poland started another wave of Russophobic political persecution of the Russian journalists
SUMMARY
The recent actions of the Polish authorities are aimed at the persecution of the Russian journalists working in Poland. Once again, the Polish authorities violated the basic principles of the freedom of the press and pluralism, triggering another wave of political persecution of the Russian journalists under the pretext of a "threat to national security". The restrictive actions of Warsaw seriously violate the fundamental democratic principles of freedom of speech, which goes against high European Human Rights standards. These decisions of Warsaw are an example of the violation of the Schengen regulations by Poland. In fact, Warsaw deliberately uses its EU membership status in order to satisfy its local anti-Russian phobias.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of the Kremlin's widespread narrative about Russophobic Poland. The pro-Kremlin media regularly accuses the political elites of Poland of Russophobia and the implementation of anti-Russian policies.
In March 2021, the Polish Counterintelligence Service put a Russian journalist Yevgeni Reshetniev on the list of undesirable persons because he was involved in the collection of materials for the need of the Russian anti-Polish disinformation campaign.
On 15 March 2021, the Polish authorities decided to prolong the travel ban for Leonid Sviridov (a Russian journalist working in Poland before 2014). The Polish special services decided to expel Sviridov to Russia in December 2015 because he was suspected of espionage in favour of the Russian special services (his case was reviewed since October 2014).
The claim that the Polish decision to expel these Russian journalists is a violation of the freedom of speech or a “systemic discrimination of the Russian citizens in Poland” is not true as these people posed a security threat to Poland.
The claim that Poland uses the tools of its EU membership in order to “satisfy its local anti-Russian phobias” or that Poland misuses Schengen regulations to achieve its anti-Russian goals is baseless.
See other examples of similar messages claiming that Polish media promote the idea that the Russians are not people, but the “agents of the Kremlin”, the Polish authorities created an insane hysteria of intimidation with Russia, used for the needs of domestic politics and The Polish authoritarian state may brutally attack any of its citizens for his views and opinions.