Statement by Stanisław Żaryn, spokesman for Poland’s security services chief, on an op-ed by Russian President Vladimir Putin posted on The National Interest:

"The op-ed by V. Putin is an element of an ongoing, persistent information war Russia wages against the West. It is not the first time the Russian president has manipulated history with the goal to present a false picture of WWII. Russia’s continued “memory war” aims to whitewash the disgraceful Soviet past, erase from collective memory the fact that during the war Stalin and Hitler colluded with each other, and underpin the myth of the Soviet Union as a sole conqueror of Nazi Germany.

Stanisław Żaryn

Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

The Kremlin’s information warfare activities with respect to WWII history involve whitewashing the crimes committed by the Soviets on the one hand, and pushing manipulated narratives about the role and activity of Poland and the West on the other. In the op-ed, Putin accuses France in Britain of having supported Hitler, whereas Poland – a country that really fell victim to a joint German-Soviet invasion in 1939 – is portrayed as being complicit in starting the war.

Moscow’s attempts to push a distorted history of WWII are also designed to be a tool of the Russian foreign policy. With its disinformation and propaganda activities, Moscow wants to fabricate false evidence that today’s Russia, as the successor of the victorious Soviet Union, should have a say in sealing the fate of other countries. For this reason, Russian propaganda is doing its utmost to eliminate from the public debate any mention of the Soviet crimes or collaboration between Stalin and Hitler.

Throwing accusations at Poland and the West has yet another hidden intent: to undermine their current position. In the article Putin suggests Poland brought the extermination of its statehood on itself. This narrative is complementary to the everyday propaganda attacks on Poland by which the Kremlin attempts to portray Poland as a handful. The West, in turn, is accused of having betrayed its allies. Pushing such narratives aims to question the current allied guarantees of Western countries.

The claims made by Putin are part of a comprehensive disinformation effort aimed to destabilize the West, pit NATO member states against each other, undermine the credibility and reliability of the Alliance, as well as to paint a false picture false picture of Russia as a global defender who should sit at the table when the decisions on the world order are made.

Putin’s “journalistic” activity is also a component of Russia’s aggressive policy against the West."

 

Stanisław Żaryn

Spokesperson of the Minister-Special Services Coordinator

Director of National Security Department

The Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland