It seems Donald Tusk got a little carried away in his “joy” over the results of the first round of the presidential election—so much so that social media users noticed a rather surprising reference in one of his recent posts. You won’t believe what it was!
Tusk Quoted… Stalin
Właśnie zaczyna się gra o wszystko. Twarda walka o każdy głos. Te dwa tygodnie rozstrzygną o przyszłości naszej Ojczyzny. Dlatego ani kroku wstecz.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) May 18, 2025
Shortly after the exit poll results were announced—suggesting that Rafał Trzaskowski (albeit by a narrow margin) had defeated Karol Nawrocki—Donald Tusk made no effort to hide his excitement. He shared the following message on social media:
“Now the real game begins. A tough fight for every vote. These next two weeks will decide the future of our Homeland. That’s why—not a step back.”
But it was the final sentence of the Prime Minister’s post that stirred controversy. Why? Because, as sharp-eyed internet users pointed out, the phrase “not a step back” echoes a notorious order given by Joseph Stalin—a Soviet war criminal during World War II.
The reference is to Order No. 227. But what did it mean?
"Ani kroku wstecz". Wiedziałem, że juz to słyszałem 🤡 pic.twitter.com/weX6Q5Z8gA
— Kapitan Jack Sparrow (@jack__sparrow5) May 18, 2025
Order No. 227 was issued on July 28, 1942, in response to setbacks and cases of desertion in the Red Army during the early stages of the Great Patriotic War. The order was also a reaction to the success of the German offensive known as Case Blue (Fall Blau), launched in late June 1942. The aim of the operation was to seize control of the Caucasus and southern regions of the Soviet Union. At the same time, German forces were advancing toward Stalingrad—a city symbolically associated with the Soviet leader.