Russia’s Anti-Ukrainian Disinformation Surges in Poland by More Than 250% Using Warsaw-Kyiv Dispute

Russia has stepped up a large-scale disinformation campaign in Poland, seeking to deepen divisions between Warsaw and Kyiv by using historical disputes and criticism of Ukrainian refugees, according to Reuters on August 14.

After a public Polish-Ukrainian dispute emerged, the amount of anti-Ukrainian content in Polish on social media rose by more than 250%.

Polish Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Paweł Olszewski said Russian disinformation literally "exploded" on social media and official Russian media platforms after the dispute began. Some of the narratives were later picked up by Polish media outlets.

Russia’s campaign has focused on sensitive historical issues dating back to World War II, as well as public anger over Ukrainian refugees. According to the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), the increase in anti-Ukrainian content was recorded across X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Experts say Russia has changed its approach. A significant share of the content is produced by bot farms to create the impression of widespread anger among Poles.

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Instead of inventing completely false stories, Russian actors often distort and amplify real controversial issues. This makes the manipulation harder to identify and remove because the narratives are based on events that actually happened.

Olszewski said the flow of disinformation surrounding the dispute "fell on receptive ground."

Moscow has traditionally denied carrying out information attacks. The Russian Embassy in Warsaw called the allegations "unfounded" and said Russia supposedly "does not interfere in relations between other states."

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Tensions between Ukraine and Poland emerged in late May after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an honorary name, "Heroes of the UPA," to one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ special units.

The decision drew criticism in Warsaw. Poland considers the Ukrainian Insurgent Army responsible for the 1943–1945 Volyn tragedy, which Poland recognizes as genocide against the Polish population.

Amid the debate over historical memory and assessments of the UPA’s activities, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle. Former Ukrainian presidents later also declined the state honor.

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