Russia has stepped up its disinformation campaign against Ukraine and Poland
This was reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council.
According to the Centre, Russian propaganda has begun to widely disseminate materials presented as allegedly ‘declassified archive documents’ concerning the activities of the commander of the UPA-North, Dmytro Klyachkivsky (‘Klyma Savur’).
These materials, released by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), contain allegations of alleged mass killings of the Polish population, which, according to the Russian side, were carried out by Ukrainian nationalists.
The Centre emphasises that these documents form part of a special information operation and have already been used by Russia in the past.
Historians have described the documents as forgeries
The Centre for Political Studies refers to the assessment of historians, in particular Volodymyr Viatrovych, who stated that the cited ‘archival materials’ are a fabrication by the Soviet secret services.
According to him, the information is not corroborated by any independent sources — neither Ukrainian, nor Polish, nor German.
The Centre also noted that the FSB had already attempted to circulate a similar hoax in 2022, but at that time it did not have the desired effect.
Fake videos and fake news
At the same time, the Russian side has launched another wave of disinformation.
According to the Centre for Countering Disinformation, a fabricated video, styled to look like a Ukrainian media report, is being circulated via a network of anonymous accounts.
It claims that the Polish Intelligence Agency has described Ukraine as a ‘new threat to Eastern Europe’, and that the Ukrainian military was allegedly being trained with the involvement of the CIA.
The Centre emphasised that Polish intelligence had not published any such documents, and that the report itself was entirely fabricated.
As noted by the Centre for Countering Disinformation, the Russian disinformation network ‘Matryoshka’, which specialises in creating fake news using the logos of well-known media outlets, is being used to disseminate such material.
What is the aim of the campaign?
The Centre for Countering Disinformation believes that the main aim of the information operation is to worsen Ukrainian-Polish relations and reduce Poland’s support for Ukraine.
According to the Centre, not only Russian propaganda media but also official information resources of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are involved in spreading the campaign, in order to maximise the reach of these narratives in the international information space.
As early as 4 July, the head of the Centre, Andriy Kovalenko, reported that the FSB was preparing a large-scale information operation centred specifically on the Volhynia tragedy. At the time, the Centre stated that the campaign was being coordinated by FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, and that its main aim was to undermine the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland.
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