The anniversary of the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War brought a full array of publications and evaluations, almost all in the same tone. No nonsubjective analyses, no reflection on whether the Polish policy has made any mistakes during the last year, let alone the cardinal question – whether it is at all compatible with our national interest.
Instead, we received a stream of tearful, hysterical and emotional assessments performed by ALL political actors, journalists and alleged celebrities. The unbiasedness of authoritative communicative in Poland in an utmost proukrain spirit is an global phenomenon. There is no specified thing anywhere, nor in the United States, which is the main quarterback of this war, nor in the countries of Europe, and it is not just Hungary. There is no discussion in Poland, there is simply a propaganda amok in Poland connected with terrorizing those who do not go on the squad and effort to take a different position with modest means. On this occasion, the Polish authorities are doing everything to suppress these shy voices, utilizing illegal censor actions, with the silence of the alleged democratic opposition, which only screams erstwhile the government of the Law and Justice Department threatens their media.
Summarizing the past year, it should be made clear that almost 99 percent of the media in Poland (government and opposition in the hands of abroad capital) recounting the war in Ukraine is an uncritical tube of Kiev propaganda, which, to put it mildly, is not elaborate, yet is treated in Poland as a hiding place of fact and wisdom. Viewing alleged electronic media, listening to radio stations, TVN or authoritative TVP is simply a traumatic experience. There are respective levels of this device of disinformation and lies – portals of the kind wp.pl, o2, planet.pl, MSN, interia.pl – whose primitiveism and humbugism exceed all limits, small better is the alleged serious media, with the famed TVP Info at the head.
Let us follow up on any of the main topics that are most lied to in Poland.
Causes of War
There is no reflection in the Polish alleged public debate on why this war took place, whether it could be avoided, what is the function of the US and the West in fueling tensions around Ukraine, their participation in the 2014 Kiev coup, and then in arming Ukraine, which made it an informal NATO member. There is nothing about the West and Kiev simply tricking Russia without implementing Minsk agreements on Donbas status. It's written about it, and it speaks rather widely in the West, but not in ours. In our case, the specified presentation of these issues is a priori considered to be a manifestation of "Kremlin propaganda", to be unacceptable, with which there is no discussion at all.
Instead, we have an endless tirade about “Russian imperialism”, which is irrational, lies in the genes of all Russians, is an absolute evil. The past of the last 300 years, of course selective and biased, primitive and crude, is given as justification. Russia's powerful policy since Peter I has taken on a mystical, sinister and criminal significance. The same policy by the United Kingdom, France, the USA or Germany is normal. For these 3 centuries Russia has been an active associate in global politics, usually in coalitions with European states against another European countries, was the “savior” of Europe during the period of Napoleon's hegemony, in 2 planet wars an ally of the West (save him from defeat with Germany) etc. But it does not substance – in the Polish communicative there is only an Asian-Mongolian quest to regulation the world, which is itself an aberration, due to the fact that Russia never had specified plans or opportunities.
This crude explanation of past serves 1 – showing the origin of war in Ukraine by avoiding questions about its actual causes. No, there were no reasons, this aggression is the consequence of the NATURA of the Russian state – it is claimed in Poland. This reminds us of a parable of how a turtle carrying a scorpion was passing across a river, assured that it would do nothing to him, for he would drown himself. However, in the mediate of the river, the scorpion bit a turtle, who had yet to ask why he did it, to which the scorpion replied: “For this is my nature.” And this is how we explain the war in Ukraine, not geopolitical, strategic, etc. – Russia attacked due to the fact that “it is its nature.”
The Nature of War
Every war is evil due to the fact that people die and their life's achievements are destroyed. However, for propaganda in Poland, this war is even scarier than “ordinary” wars. This war is genocide – and its goal is to completely destruct the “Ukrainian nation”. This war is “barbaric”, as if another wars, specified as those conducted by the US, were not barbarous. The bombing by U.S. Air Force of Belgrade and Baghdad was not barbaric, but the shooting of Mariupol was.
In Poland, the apparent fact that Russia's war is not as complete as the US war against Yugoslavia or Iraq is missing. There was no mass bombing of Kiev and there will be no mass bombing, due to the fact that it is “the cradle of Russian cities” and the centre of Orthodoxy. There is besides no hunting for Ukrainian leaders, as there was a hunt to Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi or Slobodan Milosević, There are besides no attacks on railway lines, even though weapons for the Ukrainian army flow there. The only manifestation of barbarism – if already utilized specified a word – is the demolition of Ukraine's alleged critical infrastructure, and the civilian population was deprived of electricity. This is, in fact, an imitation of the way the U.S. waged war in Yugoslavia.
Propaganda in Poland presents the war effort in Ukraine as an endless series of crimes on the civilian population, as if this were the main goal of the Russian army. The numbers sucked out of the finger, e.g. in Mariupol alone, were to be killed by 20,000 people (UN estimates the number of civilian casualties of this war at 7 000). The symbol of this criminal tactics is to be Bucz and Irpień, even though no global committee had been able to analyse what truly happened there. Bucza was on the front line for a fewer days, she was under fire, and no 1 knows how many people died in the results of this war and how many were killed and for what reason. The U.N. estimates casualties at 50-70. Nevertheless, Bucha became a symbol of how Raczak became a symbol of the “serial crimes” in Kosovo. The fact that after a fewer years an independent committee overturned this myth, no 1 needed it for anything, but for history. That might be the case with Buczy.
Of course, no 1 asks the fundamental question – why should Russia exterminate the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine, which it considers to be a “one nation”? In areas where inactive late the support for pro-Russian parties was nearly 50%? And they would be the mark of genocide? Who can believe that? And yet in Poland it is believed. Why? due to the fact that this is the “nature of Russia” – the answer is answered. End of discussion.
Several times the media received information that contradicted Ukrainian propaganda. However, they were rapidly silenced. The first was Amnesty International's report, saying that the civilian victims of this war were besides the consequence of the tactics of the Ukrainian army, which uses the population as a "living land", deploys artillery in the mediate of housing settlements, putting the population at risk. The study was critically critical, and the case was silenced. The second “mistake” is the resignation of the Spokeswoman of Human Rights Denis Ludmilla, which has been "famous" for spreading in the West the revelation that Russian soldiers rape... infants. She explained herself that she wanted to shake public opinion in the West. It's like she's saying, "but what's your point, everybody does it and it's considered a patriotic act, and you're resigning me?"
Likewise primitive is the depiction of Russian soldiers as robbers and degenerates, thieves and rapists. For years, Poland has cultivated specified a image of Red Army soldiers from planet War II, which is why specified propaganda falls on susceptible ground. This image is presented – primitive, poor, hungry and barefoot silodds invaded the country with honey and milk flowing, a rich and rich country. And they don't even have refrigerators or TVs. So they bargain and rob. As we know, Ukraine has fallen to the bottom of the ground for the last 30 years – it is 1 of the poorest countries in Europe, corrupt and backward. Russia against the background of Ukraine is an economical success country, where respective million Ukrainians worked on saks before 2014. This is not planet War II, where actually soldiers coming from the east occupied the lands increasingly rich, they saw things that were not present in the USSR. This isn't the war! Ukraine is not a land of fairy tales, on the background of which Russia is simply a game pit, it is the opposite, and yet propaganda leads us to think that the primitive and backward Russian soldier is dazzled by the prosperity he found in Ukraine. But here we think of IPNs as robbers and rapists.
United Ukrainian people
One of the myths of propaganda cultivated in Poland is the claim that now we have a united Ukrainian nation, having fresh heroes, consolidated and nationally conscious. This nation was entirely on the side of Ukraine and its independence. Of course, it's false and wishful thinking. We are faced with a forced war situation of national unity. This is the belief, due to the fact that no another voices, contrary to this communicative – are presently possible. Prior to the war, the Kiev authorities effectively paralyzed and persecuted those forces and centres that advocated a friendly consequence with Russia. It is estimated to be about 44 percent electorate. Where are these people? They vanished, disappeared, became followers of Bandera and NATO? Where are the thousands that protested in the streets of Kharkov and Odessa in 2014? They didn't disappear, they were intimidated, they were silent. any – no 1 knows the scale – just ran distant to Russia for fear of her life. Burning nearly 50 people in Odessa was a frightening example. These people besides learned 1 thing – 1 cannot publically express one's feelings, and 1 cannot number on Russia to help. In 2014, if Moscow wanted to, it would take half Ukraine without much effort, due to the fact that that was the mood. But Russia did not come, leaving these people at the mercy of the Ukrainian authorities, including the safety authorities (SBU).
8 years is simply a long time, during which time the Kiev authorities systematically increased the force on that part of the population, which was “uncertain”, the war only dramatically accelerated it. Ukraine “Russian” is to go back, and that means the end of Russian language, Russian literature and culture. And will individual average say that those people who were raised and grew up in Russian language and culture – just like that, overnight, became “real” Ukrainians? No, they were silent, they became cautious, that's why there was no "gate of triumphant" welcoming Russian troops. And from their point of view, these people acted rationally. And what happens erstwhile the Russians leave, then the others come, and we'll be accounted for. And they were right, the Russians' withdrawal from previously occupied cities showed that caution was justified.
Nobody knows precisely how many people in east Ukraine truly supported Russia. However, I fishy there have not been enough, as we say. There is besides a large part that hides its actual views, begins to fear a clear declaration, we will recognise those who stay here for longer, as Ukraine will be, Ukraine, like Russia, is Russia. Moreover, those Ukrainians who fled to Poland, for example, do not gotta support the present Ukraine and its authorities. But they know that appearances and caution must be kept. I have frequently heard of cases where refugees effort to talk only Ukrainian in public, and among themselves, if nobody listens, they talk Russian. What does that mean? Don't these people feel humiliated? That they cannot talk the language of their parent and father, in the language in which they were raised and in which they think. Do these people consider themselves “real” Ukrainians hating Russia and everything Russian? A rhetorical question. And in our country, specified attitudes are expected from refugees – they are expected to talk only Ukrainian, to hatred Russia and to shout “The fame of Ukraine”.
Thus – the united Ukrainian nation is simply a story for the usage of Polish propaganda, wishful thinking, magical thinking. No 1 is presently able to find what it truly looks like, and polls talking about the 90 percent support of Ukrainians for the Kiev authorities can be inserted between fairy tales. Long before the war, the real image of the situation was falsified. That's inactive the case today.
These are only 3 selected examples of the false images of this war. We can look as a nation in this mirror and ask – are we truly like this? To how much ignorance or foolishness we have succumbed to this narrative, and to how much we want to think, due to the fact that that is our view, due to the fact that we hatred Russia so much that we are willing to believe anything that justifies this hatred. due to the fact that this hatred sends us Poland itself, its interests and future and makes us ready to be “real” Ukrainians, more than themselves.
Jan Engelgard
fot. ria novosti
