Sergey Naryshkin, one of Vladimir Putin’s close associates, threatened Poland and the Baltic states today, claiming that “Russia will respond with full force to any attack by NATO on the Russian Federation or Belarus.” “This is an example of classic Russian misleading disinformation, typical of the Soviet school of propaganda,” replied Polish President Andrzej Duda.
President Duda was asked about Naryshkin’s statement—namely, that Russia would respond with full force to an attack from NATO on the Russian Federation or Belarus, and that the Baltic countries and Poland would be the first to suffer—in Zagreb, following a meeting with Croatian President Zoran Milanović.
According to President Duda, the statement is an example of “classic Russian misleading disinformation, typical of the Soviet school of propaganda.”
“Russia, which is moving its nuclear weapons to Belarus, brazenly bringing them closer to the borders of NATO and the European Union, is the one speaking. Russia, which behaves aggressively toward NATO and is pursuing its brutal and bloodthirsty imperialism, having been attacking Ukraine for three years,” the president stressed.
“NATO Is a Defensive Alliance”
He emphasized that NATO is solely and exclusively a defensive alliance.
“Everything NATO does is a response to Russian aggression. […] NATO has never attacked anyone and does not attack; it is an alliance that only maintains security,” the president said.
Andrzej Duda called for calm and prudence, and for continuing current policies aimed at strengthening security and resilience.
“Strengthening Euro-Atlantic ties, modernizing our armies so that our deterrence potential is real in our countries—[…] this is the only effective policy we should continue to implement calmly and consistently,” he said.
Dr. Marek: Moscow Discourages Warsaw from Defending Itself
Dr. Michał Marek, an expert researching Russian disinformation, stated that Naryshkin’s words are meant to pressure the Baltic states and Poland—among other things to “discourage any potential plans for laying mines along the border with Belarus and the Kaliningrad Oblast.”
In this way, Moscow is trying to dissuade Warsaw from strengthening its defensive capabilities. Furthermore, these actions are aimed at portraying Poland (through messages transmitted to the West) as allegedly responsible for escalating tensions in Europe—a strategy to divert blame from Russia for this process, he assessed.