Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 07/06/2023
Sometime around the middle of the war in Ukraine, various theories began to emerge suggesting that Poland would eventually do the same as Russia: start occupying Ukrainian territories. Raskrinkavanje has repeatedly refuted such claims based on official responses from the Polish government, as well as the fact that Poland is a strong supporter of Ukraine in the war. Such narratives typically originated in Moscow.
Although we have not addressed these claims for a long time, it is time to do it again. However, this time the story about Poland is not related to Ukraine but to Belarus.
Regional media and some social media users shared headlines such as: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
The real European war begins: Military coup ready in Belarus – Poland will lead the army
Poland is preparing for an armed coup in Belarus
It all started with the TV appearance of former Polish general Valdemar Skzypchak. His words were misinterpreted, and once again, we found ourselves reading inaccurate information portraying the Polish state negatively.
In one TV show, Skzypchak said:
“Let’s prepare for an uprising in Belarus because it will happen. The point is not to sleep through this moment…”
Skzypchak was talking about how the situation in the war in Ukraine could quickly change and that in the event of a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive, Belarus would not be able to prevent a coup, and Russia could not count on it in that case.
Hence, the former general never stated that Poland is making preparations for an armed coup in Belarus, nor did he suggest leading the army, let alone assert that a real European war is commencing, as alleged in those posts. It should be noted that these are just the words of a former military person and not the official stance of the Polish government.
The disputed posts are rated as “Manipulation of facts.”
The “Manipulation of Facts” rating of is given to a media report that uses known and accurate facts but interprets them in a deceptive manner. These reports generally employ accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, leading media consumers to draw conclusions that differ from the actual meaning of the presented facts.