In the aftermath of last year’s explosion that caused significant damage to the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, concerns have been raised about media reports suggesting a Polish connection to the incident. A senior Polish security official has cautioned that such reports are playing into the hands of Russian propagandists.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal revealed that German investigators, who are examining the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September, have been looking into evidence suggesting that the perpetrators had used Poland as their operational base.
Stanislaw Zaryn, Poland’s commissioner for information-space security, expressed his concern to PAP, stating that the repeated circulation of information about Polish involvement in the destruction of Nord Stream 1 and 2 is consistently exploited by Russia to create the false perception that Warsaw was behind the incident.
Zaryn further highlighted that “The Russians are constructing a series of events that appear logically connected but are based on false or misleading information regarding cause and effect.”
“In this manner, a comprehensive framework has emerged through which Russia conducts multiple operations simultaneously. The objective is to portray Poland as an aggressive state towards Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine – one that is Russophobic, undeserving of Western trust, and subservient to the USA,” Zaryn added.
According to Zaryn, the propaganda efforts of the Russian Federation continuously attempt to sow division between Poles and Ukrainians.
These efforts are pursued through two main avenues: separate disinformation campaigns targeting the Ukrainian population and Polish society. The ultimate goal is to foster lasting animosity between these two nations.
Zaryn also revealed that Russia consistently disseminates disinformation about Ukraine’s alleged falsification, with the assistance of Western intelligence agencies, of materials related to the Bucha massacre. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine presents conflicting narratives, suggesting either that the massacre did not occur or that it was carried out by Ukrainians, depending on the chosen meta-narrative.