Target audience
Every narrative aimed at this audience — most recently active first.
Poland is cast as a space where “Banderite” ideology flourishes with Western backing while an artificially inflated hatred of Ukrainians simultaneously takes hold. This contradictory framing aims to convince the audience that the Polish state has lost control over domestic security and historical memory.
Polish journalists and outlets are accused of spreading lies and manipulations at the behest of the “Kyiv regime”. Russian official resources attempt to discredit investigations into war crimes by dismissing them as propagandistic “opuses” based on fabricated clichés.
Russian official channels cast the removal of communist monuments in Polish towns as acts of vandalism and an insult to the memory of the fallen. This tactic seeks to discredit Poland’s de-Sovietisation policy by appealing to moral categories of “sacrilege” and a supposed historical debt to the USSR.
Russian propaganda constructs an image of the Russian Federation as a moral compass and a haven for the West’s “healthy forces,” contrasting this with Ukraine’s alleged “aggression.” Through manipulative videos and statements from loyal foreigners, it promotes the idea that there is no hostility toward ordinary Ukrainians, who are supposedly united with Russians by a shared culture and language.
Russian diplomatic missions in Poland use historical exhibitions and meetings with loyalist activists to promote the Soviet version of the Second World War. These activities aim to legitimise the USSR’s role as the sole “saviour” of Europe while ignoring the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the decades of subsequent Soviet occupation.
The rising popularity of nationalist forces in Poland is framed as a harbinger of the end of support for Ukraine and the collapse of the Western coalition. Manipulators claim that domestic war fatigue and historical disputes will force a future Warsaw government to shift toward pragmatic egoism. This narrative aims to demoralize Ukrainian society and deepen political divisions within Poland.
The shared memory of CIS states about the Second World War is cast as a universal safeguard against discrimination, while the Soviet contribution is inflated into the central framework for opposing Nazism. The Sobibór uprising is used to glorify a Soviet officer and reinforce that frame. Poland is mentioned in the posts as the location of the camp, without a specific accusation against Polish institutions.
Russia’s state involvement in the work of “compatriot” organisations in Poland is portrayed as purely cultural support for language, traditions and community. A Warsaw conference attended by the Russian ambassador and a Russian Foreign Ministry representative is cast as bringing people from several Polish cities together around those aims. The coordinating council’s official priorities are presented as the needs of the entire Russian community.
Poland, alongside the Baltic states and Czechia, is portrayed as a space of “clinical Russophobia” where the safety of Russian citizens cannot be guaranteed. In statements by Russian officials, the refusal to organise mobile voting for State Duma elections outside of embassies is cast as a direct consequence of Warsaw’s hostile policies. The environment surrounding diplomatic missions is depicted as a zone of constant provocations and “hybrid warfare” against Russia.
Western governments and media are accused of systematically whitewashing the brutal crimes of opposition movements acting in Western interests. The manipulation asserts that any retribution by sovereign states against terrorism will be framed to the global community as the “oppression of freedom fighters.”
The return of the “Scythian Gold” collection to Kyiv is presented as the illegal misappropriation of Russian treasures with Western complicity. This manipulation uses an exhibition at the Russian embassy in Warsaw to promote the idea of a “civilised Europe” supposedly helping Ukraine steal historical artefacts.
Polish audiences are being told that the cancellation of temporary protection for military-aged Ukrainians is inevitable. Manipulators use statements from foreign officials to frame the withdrawal of asylum as a coordinated EU policy aimed at the forced mobilisation of refugees.
The use of the Belarusian opposition's white-red-white colours in Warsaw is portrayed as deliberate support for Nazi ideology by the Polish authorities. Propaganda outlets equate solidarity with the Belarusian democratic movement with the glorification of Second World War collaborationism.
Western measures to limit Russian influence are portrayed as discriminatory acts that deprive Ukrainian refugees of essential aid. Propaganda contrasts the “hostile” policies of Poland and its allies with the supposed “humanism” of Belarus, which claims to keep its borders open to everyone.
Polish historical uprisings and modern support for Ukraine are portrayed as manifestations of irrational Russophobia that harm national interests. Manipulators exploit anniversaries of historical events, such as the Warsaw Uprising, to label any resistance to Russian influence as the “criminal irresponsibility” of the elites.