Category Poland

DISINFO: The Polish special services fabricated documents against the Polish judge for his pro-peace position

This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that an "aggressive" Poland persecutes its citizens for their political views.

No evidence is provided to support this claim.

This claim was made in connection with the accusations and statements of the Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who ran away to Belarus on 9 May 2024 seeking "political asylum" in this country. In Poland, he is under the suspicion of espionage in favour of Belarus and was stripped of his immunity.

May 15, 2024
Democracy Fact checks / debunkings Freedom of speech International community Poland Ukraine

DISINFO: The Polish, American, British and Ukrainian secret services may hunt the Polish run-away judge down

This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries, in this case, it promotes the idea that "aggressive" Poland and other democratic countries order political murders of the run-away "dissidents".

No evidence is provided to support this claim, which is part of a classic "whataboutism" along the line "you blame me for bad things, but you do the same yourself". It is a whataboutism attempt to deflect attentiona away from Russia's assignations made in UK (like Alexander Litvinenko), Germany (the Tiergarden murder) and other attempts on political opponent such as former rusisan agent Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia which were targeted with a Novichok chemical nerve critical in Salisbury, UK.

May 15, 2024
Fact checks / debunkings International community Poland Ukraine

DISINFO: International law expert Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt assesses Ukraine’s war crimes

False claim made in connection with the case of Polish Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who fled to Belarus seeking "political asylum". For several months, he was observed by the Polish special services who suspected him of espionage in favour of Belarus and Russia.

Tomasz Szmydt is not an expert in International Public Law and has limited professional authority to accuse Ukraine of war crimes (see previous accusations in our database).

In 2019, as explained by DW: "Szmydt made headlines when he was identified as being a member of a group of judges waging a smear campaign on social media against other judges"

May 14, 2024
Democracy Fact checks / debunkings Freedom of speech International community Poland Ukraine War crimes

Fact Check: Putin Defends Hitler’s Invasion of Poland in Carlson Interview

True.

Based on a Russian transcript of Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, Newsweek verified Putin said Adolf Hitler was "forced" to invade Poland, an inaccurate interpretation of the circumstances leading to World War II.

While translations do not use the word "forced" or "compelled", they broadly match its meaning.

FAKE: Ukrainians have turned Poland into the ‘criminal capital’ of the EU

The media that spread the article regularly publishes Russian propaganda, and the material used fakes and manipulations of the Russian Federation

January 29, 2024
AI-generated images European Union Fact checks / debunkings Faked news reports International community Methods Poland Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

War in Ukraine: In 2023, Russian disinformation continued to dominate

Out of the 197 fact-checking articles our team wrote in 2023, 52 of them concerned the war in Ukraine. And 50 of those highlighted pro-Russian disinformation aimed at discrediting Kyiv and the Ukrainian war effort.

Manipulation: Polish and British Special Forces Have Been Fighting in Ukraine Since The Very…

We are talking about training and counseling of the Ukrainian military, which took place long before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As for the participation of the Poles, the book "Poland at War," cited by the propaganda, confirms that they were withdrawn from the territory of Ukraine after the start of the [full-scale] war at the insistence of the Polish authorities.

December 14, 2023
Aid to Ukraine Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Military aid Misconceptions Poland Russia Russian propaganda UK Ukraine

Fake: Poland to Cease Payments to Ukrainian Refugees Since 2024

As of November 25, Poland has not announced that payments to Ukrainian refugees will be suspended from January 1, 2024. The screenshot, which propaganda alleges to originate from the Polish government website, was edited.

Fake: Video Ad Encourages Gays to Join the Armed Forces

The video, which the Russian media presented as an official promotional campaign of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is fake. This compilation of footage from random sources was broadcasted only by propaganda sources.

Posts falsely claim Ukraine issued stamps to honour Nazi figure from World War II

Canada's recognition in parliament of Canadian-Ukrainian World War II veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who fought on the side of the Nazis, sparked public outrage in September 2023. Pro-Russian social media accounts seized the moment, alleging that Ukraine had released a postage stamp to immortalise Hunka. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found that the barcode on the stamp belongs to another series of Ukrainian stamps. Ukraine's national postal service also confirmed the Hunka stamp does not exist.