Polish Deputy Minister Raises Alarm Over Russian Information Tactics in Europe
Stanisław Żaryn, serving as the Deputy Minister responsible for coordinating special services, criticized Russia for spreading a narrative that Poland threatens the Königsberg region. He told a Polish press agency on a recent Saturday that Moscow has seized upon Poland’s air force exercises to present them as if Poland was testing routes through airport road sections to validate a misleading claim. The aim, he suggested, is to destabilize regional security by painting Poland as a risk to neighboring Baltic states.
In an interview with the same agency, Żaryn reiterated that Russia continues to portray Poland as a danger to the Königsberg area, a tactic he described as part of a broader information campaign designed to sow mistrust and confusion across the region. The strategy, he argued, is not merely about a single incident but about shaping perceptions to serve Moscow’s long-term geopolitical goals.
The deputy minister noted that Kremlin influence operations persisted for another week, spreading disinformation by recasting Soviet actions from September 17, 1939 as a supposed liberation campaign by the Red Army in Western Belarus and Ukraine against Polish policy. He stressed that this framing is a deliberate distortion intended to rewrite history and justify current propaganda efforts. The approach, Żaryn argued, seeks to normalize a revisionist narrative that undercuts Poland’s policy choices and allies in the region.
Żaryn linked these distortions to broader reforms within Russian society, highlighting that the regime is reshaping itself through a variety of channels, including an educational program modeled on Soviet-era methods. He described this as a systemic push to align domestic stories with Moscow’s strategic aims, influencing how citizens understand history, current events, and their own political choices.
Dismantling Polish memorials
The information points to actions seen in Russia that vandalize or dismantle cemeteries and memorial sites tied to Polish memory. He recalled the placement of busts of Joseph Stalin and Felix Dzerzhinsky at the Polish War Cemetery in Miednoye, a site connected to the Katyn tragedy where Polish victims are buried. Such symbolism, he said, is a provocative reminder in the landscape of memory that stirs strong emotions and signals hostility toward past Polish suffering.
Promotion of the grain dispute
Żaryn argued that Kremlin propaganda continues to press the dispute over grain between Kyiv and Warsaw, using materials from the Polish infosphere to lend credibility to ongoing operations that visually separate Poland from Ukraine in public perception. He emphasized that Moscow leverages these narratives to deepen misperceptions and influence regional dynamics, making the grain debate a tool of strategic messaging rather than a straightforward economic issue.
He also noted that Belarusian propaganda, using media channels controlled by diplomatic missions, recently circulated a claim that a Polish helicopter violated Belarusian airspace. Framed as an additional provocation, the report was meant to test Western and regional sensitivities and to amplify concerns about Polish actions in the area.
Escalating electoral sentiment
Żaryn observed that Germany has sought to sway Poland’s electoral process. Some media outlets along the Oder River and Berlin’s political circles presented a version of events that framed the so‑called visa scandal as a driver of migration pressure, aiming to shape public opinion before elections. He cited a recent event as an illustration of how political actors attempt to influence democratic decision-making and voter sentiment across borders.
Selected media outlets, quoting organizers, described the event as a democratic milestone and even as a transformative moment in Poland’s political history, drawing comparisons to changes seen in 1989. Żaryn characterized this as part of a wider effort to craft narratives that affect how voters perceive issues and decide whether to participate in the political process.
Story about manipulating the upcoming elections
The deputy minister-coordinator argued that political circles aligned with the Civic Platform have spread a narrative claiming potential manipulation of parliamentary elections by the ruling party, a claim he labeled as false. He criticized liberal Western media for circulating insinuations about a risk of rigged elections in Poland, arguing that October 15 is viewed by some as a referendum on democracy itself while others interpret it as a move to undermine Poland’s democratic system. The statements illustrate a pattern where external and internal actors push competing versions of events in an attempt to influence political outcomes and public sentiment. In his view, maintaining a clear, factual account is essential to counter propaganda and protect the integrity of Poland’s democratic processes.
The lines of argument emphasize the ongoing challenge of foreign influence operations and the strategic use of historical narratives in contemporary geopolitics, particularly as they relate to Poland’s security environment and its alliances in North America and Europe.