About a year ago, we published a book entitled Ukraine on fire – who needs this war?, in which we presented to you a selection of articles, comments and analyses which appeared on the pages of “Polish Thought” and on our website from the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian War until the summertime of 2022. The book was appreciated by readers, the print was rapidly exhausted, which confirms the the thesis that people anticipate a different position on this war and Poland's policy towards it than that presented in government and opposition media.
This part of the public opinion in Poland, which is increasingly numerous, does not accept authoritative propaganda, is skeptical of excessive privileges for Ukrainian visitors, is outraged by the effort to sweep the issue of genocide in Volyn under the carpet, and yet is powerfully opposed to Poland's military engagement in this conflict. This should be seen as a manifestation of a healthy self-preservation instinct, as an expression of concern for the destiny of Poland and not for the destiny of another country, and it is besides an opposition to the false and forcefully imposed thesis that Ukraine is fighting for our freedom and even for the existence of our country. All polls on this subject were silenced, but it is no wonder that in 1 of them the percent of answers to the question – whether Poland should engage militarily in this war – was zero. Meanwhile, the ruling elites, with the full passiveness of the opposition – conduct policies in a completely different direction. To a large extent, it is simply a policy conducted in secret from the public. No 1 asks for information on how much money Poland has already spent on this war, on what principles these expenses are being implemented and what else the government intends to do.
This is an highly dangerous situation, as it is accompanied by an unparalleled run of hatred and juddling against Russia and against everything Russian. While the speech of Ukrainian propaganda can be understood, it is impossible to accept that the media in Poland has become the uncritical tube of Kiev, which we experience all day. What is specified propaganda for? You can only guess. If we combine this with any statements from representatives of the Polish authorities, this goal is clear. This includes the speech of the Polish ambassador to France. “If Ukraine does not defend its independence, we will have no another choice but to enter the war” – “it broke out” to Jan Emeryk Rościszewski during an interview for French media. The case was attempted to be underestimated, but it was a clear signal of what moods and views prevail among the politicians of the ruling party.
In this volume, we present a selection of texts published on “Polish Thought” and on our web portal from autumn 2022 to June 2023. We have divided them into 4 parts: interviews, analyses and publications, comments and annexes.
Interested in acquiring the book, delight visit our store:
Ukraine – between war and peace
