Ten Key Falsehoods from Russia's 2025 Propaganda
In 2025, Russian propaganda and disinformation agents aggressively targeted Ukrainian society with false narratives designed to sow discord between Ukraine and Poland. The civic initiative Holka has compiled a list of the top ten such manipulative claims, which include conspiracy theories, historical myths, and disinformation regarding the interaction between the two nations. This campaign is part of a broader strategy to weaken the international coalition supporting Ukraine.
- Falsehood 1: A claim that 68% of Poles consider Putin the best president for their own country. This video, spread by pro-Russian Telegram channels, was fabricated using artificial intelligence.
- Falsehood 2: An assertion that Polish military personnel are demanding the return of Lviv, supposedly evidenced by banners with slogans like "We remember Lviv and Vilnius" and "Lviv is a Polish city" carried by members of right-wing groups during independence marches in Poland.
- Falsehood 3: The allegation that "Polish partisans" are sabotaging railways, including an explosion on the Warsaw-Lublin line in November 2025. Propagandists claimed ordinary Poles were responsible, but Polish special services proved the sabotage acts were organized by Russian intelligence.
- Falsehood 4: The statement that Poland is the "hyena of Europe," seeking to obtain Western Ukraine in exchange for peace. This phrase, falsely attributed to Winston Churchill, is actively used by Russian media and Telegram channels like Resident and Legitimny.
- Falsehood 5: A report about the transfer of the Volyn region to Poland, circulated alongside a map showing Volyn as part of Polish territory.
- Falsehood 6: Information about "strip searches at the border in search of Banderite tattoos" was fabricated and spread as disinformation.
- Falsehood 7: A potential cancellation of visa-free travel for Ukrainians, a notion voiced by the leader of the ultra-right Confederation party, Krzysztof Bosak.
- Falsehood 8: The claim that Poles oppose funding Starlink terminals for Ukraine, based on an unrepresentative online poll.
- Falsehood 9: An allegation that Warsaw closed a hub for Western aid to Ukraine, despite the Polish government passing a law to extend the 800+ child benefit payment to Ukrainian children studying in Polish schools.
- Falsehood 10: The falsehood that only Ukrainians must pay for education in Poland, ignoring the fact that in the first month of 2026, Poles and Ukrainians in Poland collected nearly 9 million zlotys for generators for Kyiv.
Collectively, these falsehoods reveal systematic attempts by Russian propaganda to undermine trust between Ukraine and Poland through manipulation, disinformation, and historical myths.
The spread of these fabrications, intended to create tension between Ukraine and Poland, highlights the critical importance of information security amid modern geopolitical challenges. As neighboring states with shared strategic interests, the solidarity between Ukraine and Poland is a frequent target for disinformation, especially within the context of the ongoing war. Russian propaganda's efforts to manipulate historical facts and public opinion threaten not only bilateral relations but also regional stability in Eastern Europe.