Poland
Migration crisis
On August 31, a law simplifying the rules for the use of weapons by military and border guards in case of a threat to the security of a person or country officially came into force. The «GRANITSA FM | Facts and Opinions» Telegram channel published a post describing this event under the title «Polish border guards started ‘legal shooting of refugees’ on Saturday».
At the same time, it became known about the extension of the buffer zone with a temporary ban on stay on the border between Poland and Belarus for another 90 days from September 11. In response to this news, it was emphasized: «Together with the adopted law «On Killing Refugees» [mentioned above – ed.], this zone is nothing but a big shooting range for live targets».
Attention was also paid to the August 30 protest action in Gdansk against the current situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. As noted, the protesters «will demand the prosecution of all politicians, Border Guard officers and Polish Army soldiers who, in their opinion, are responsible for the deaths of refugees».
Criticism of the Polish Army and Ministry of Defense
The news that for several years the soldiers of a unit in Wroclaw have been regularly disturbing local residents with siren sounds at night was commented on as follows: «The people of Poland should think about whether they should pay their taxes to feed an army that, instead of protecting their sleep, constantly disturbs it?».
In response to information about the death of a 30-year-old military man in Skarszewy as a result of an accident, the «Nevolfovich» Telegram channel wrote: «If Polish servicemen cannot cope with a car on a flat stretch of road, what can we say about military equipment and weapons. They can only rattle and break them». Аlso criticized the practice of holding so-called military picnics to popularize service in the army, where alcoholic beverages were allegedly «abundantly offered for pouring». The conclusion was made as follows: «Now at least it is clear why there are so many deaths and accidents in the Polish army. Maybe instead of using weapons, they should think about buying breathalyzers in order to avoid numerous accidents on duty».
Once again, they also recalled of the Ministry of Defense’s plans to draft 200,000 reservists to military training sessions this year. It was emphasized that in case of non-appearance, violators would face a huge fine or imprisonment for up to 3 years. «This is the true face of democracy and freedom in Poland: if you don’t want to — we’ll force you, if you can’t – we’ll push you,» summarized the authors of one of the pro-government Telegram channels.
At the same time, the protracted search for a drone that flew into Polish airspace from Ukraine on August 26 was covered. In this connection, they cited a number of negative comments from social networks with doubts about the professionalism of the Polish army. They also criticized the «sweating» statement of General M. Klisz of 6 September that the aerial object, which the Polish military searched for 10 days, most likely did not enter the airspace of the country. As a result, the above events gave rise to a critical post about Polish air defense in the «Nevolfovich» Telegram channel, which listed incidents of violations of Polish airspace in recent years and summarized at the end: «Duda wanted to shoot down something over Kiev. They can’t even detect it, not just shoot it down».
Militarization and preparation for war
On September 3-6, the annual international defense industry exhibition MSPO was held in Kielce. As noted, it is held «to please the outrageous militarism of the Polish government», and the strengthening of the military industry of Poland and other European countries «may be related to their preparation for participation in a full-scale Russia-NATO conflict».
Poland and the Baltic states called on the EU to build a defense line on the border with Russia and Belarus, which was reported back in June. The «Nevolfovich» Telegram channel decided to remind about it, emphasizing that «Poland has been actively building up its military forces in recent years, buying weapons from all over the world», and «the myth about the Russian threat is used to divert attention from domestic political problems».
The Polish Minister of Defense V. Kosiniak-Kamysz personally was actively criticized. Under his leadership, the Polish military allegedly «awaken hatred in society towards the Union State, and the country has been actively militarized for years».
This topic was also reflected in the program of VoenTV «Arsenal» of September 8. The presenter emphasized: «Minsk and Moscow have united and are about to attack Poland together. This is what Polish politicians have been convincing their own citizens and the world community for several years. It is true that Belarus has never attacked and is not going to do so. And these accusations help Warsaw justify its own crazy expenditures on militarization.
The issue of Poland’s arms buildup was also raised in the September 8 edition of the ATN program «Disposition». «In our region, Poland has now advanced the furthest in tank quantitative issues. We can say that Warsaw has become tank-dependent: it buys hundreds of American and even South Korean tracked models. We, of course, must respond to the heavy footsteps of our neighboring country’s troops, as well as those of its other NATO colleagues,» the presenter stressed. In parallel, the topic of tanks was mentioned in the VoyenTV program «Anfas» of September 7: «In Poland, tanks interfere in elections. There is almost a dispute among neighbors as to whether there should be more tanks in the country than voters or residents in general.”
Contradictions between Poland and Ukraine
The «BelVPO» Telegram channel published article «Poland-Ukraine: the beginning of the end» (the detailed version – on the site «Military-Political Review»). The authors emphasized the existence of deep historical contradictions between the two nations, which have only aggravated in the given realities. The goals of modern Poland in relation to Ukraine were described as follows: «In the medium term, it is a demonstration to the masters from Washington of readiness to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian in exchange for supplies of weapons so adored by Poles. And in the long term, it is a return of the «Eastern Crosses».
Participation in the war in Ukraine
The statement by Polish Foreign Minister R. Sikorski on September 6 that Poland has the right to shoot down missiles in Ukrainian airspace if they threaten nuclear power plants was also criticized: «This is already crossing all lines, no matter how far they are carried. Sikorski actually announced Poland’s participation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.»
The death of an American officer in Poland
The news about the death (probably manslaughter) of US Army Lieutenant Colonel D. Kamar, whose body was found in his apartment in a military camp in Poznan, was not ignored: «Probably the military police accidentally burst through the wrong door and slew the American military man, mistaking him for a criminal. Or perhaps this murder is not so unintentional. The police simply decided to express the will of the Polish people, who are fed up with American military bases and occupiers.»
Dependence on other Western countries
In response to the information in the media that Poland and the Baltic States have to coordinate their air defense systems with NATO allies, the authors of the Telegram channel «Belarusian Silovik» ironized: «»N» — independence. It’s because the president there is a meme -about A. Duda – ed.]».
NATO
Preparing NATO for war
In a post in the «BelVPO» Telegram channel about NATO drills currently being held in Europe, the following conclusion was made: «It is no secret that the drills, based on the concept of «deterrence», demonstrate NATO’s readiness for a possible conflict with Russia. In turn, the Baltic region plays the role of a key «bridgehead» in this, which will be used in the event of a direct confrontation between the alliance countries and Russia.
In the same channel, raising the topic of the war in Ukraine, the authors wrote about «a significant build-up of the NATO military contingent near the borders of Russia and Belarus». It was noted that such an escalation «may prompt the political leadership of the Union State to take tough retaliatory measures, which will lead to serious consequences for all parties to the conflict.
The review is available in Russian.
