Polish military exposes Russian psyops targeting Ukraine support

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces has warned of psychological warfare in the context of peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. It stated on X that an increase in psychological operations directed against Ukraine and being conducted on Polish territory.

The Polish military authorities noted that Moscow is carrying out operations aimed at putting pressure on Ukraine, designed to create an atmosphere of fear and a sense of threat supposedly linked to the presence of Ukrainians in Poland.

“A Russian psychological operation is underway that exploits Polish fears and historical legacy, as well as stirs up envy and resentment between both nations,” the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said in a statement.

The rise in anti-Ukrainian sentiment is being observed in places such as Gdynia and Gdańsk, where there are hubs providing assistance for the transfer of weapons or support for Ukraine’s war effort.

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said in its statement that as part of this activity, Moscow is using, among other things, hate speech and incitement against Ukrainians in Poland, cyberattacks, arson, and GPS jamming.

In this context, the Polish Armed Forces also noted that Russia is trying to exploit the Volyn tragedy. Moscow is also attempting to portray Ukrainians as a greater threat to Poland than Russiaі . 

The aim of directing negative emotions against Ukraine, the statement added, is to pressure Polish citizens, who wish to return to their comfort zone, to exert pressure on the government to make decisions that contradict state policy.

The General Staff said acts of sabotage are part of coordinated operations by Russian intelligence services intended to undermine support for Ukraine and to facilitate Russian aggression.

“There are also factors such as fatigue from the excessive presence of Ukrainians in Poland, difficulties in adapting to cultural norms, and mistakes by the Ukrainian state […],” Łukasz Adamski, deputy director of the Mieroszewski Center, told Polskiej Agencji Prasowej. “These mistakes are indeed being corrected, but too late.”

He added that Russian disinformation nonetheless significantly influences Poles’ attitudes toward Ukrainians.

Adamski elaborated that it is difficult for Russian propaganda to convince Polish society to adopt pro-Russian slogans. Therefore, Russians are investing significant resources in promoting hatred against Ukrainians in Polish social media, and the budget for Russian bodies responsible for this activity has recently been further increased.

The deputy director of the Mieroszewski Center asserted that Poland’s situation is unique because it is a country that still demonstrates a relatively high degree of resistance to pro-Russian slogans. This resistance stems from centuries of experience in relations with Russia. However, he noted, Poland has historical experience not only with Russia but also with Ukraine. History, in general, is important to Polish society. It plays a much greater role in public debate than in other European countries.

Previously, Poland had warned against the spread of Russian disinformation about alleged drone incursions into its airspace in early September. The authorities had also cautioned against false reports about an alleged planned attack by Poland, for which Russia would seek to blame Ukraine.