Russia Steps Up Campaign to Split Poland and Ukraine

Russia has significantly stepped up an information campaign aimed at deepening tensions between Poland and Ukraine, according to Polish officials and researchers. The campaign exploits the sensitive dispute over the Volhynia massacres of World War II, along with growing resentment toward Ukrainian refugees.

An analysis by the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) found that anti-Ukrainian content in Polish on major social media platforms increased by more than 250% after Volodymyr Zelensky named a military unit after insurgents linked to the massacres. Analysts said some of this activity was artificially generated by bots.

The new tactic does not necessarily involve spreading outright false information. Instead, it amplifies real events and imposes a particular interpretation on them.

Support for military aid to Ukraine in Poland has fallen from 78% in 2022 to 52%, according to a survey. Moscow denies the allegations of interference.

(Reuters, mja)