Polish
officials
a d
esea che s
say
Moscow
has
sha ply
i c eased
o li e
messagi g
a ou d
the
Volhy ia
massac es.
Russia
is
bei g
accused
of
usi g
a
pai ful
chapte
i
the
histo y
of
Pola d
a d
Uk ai e
to
deepe
te sio s
betwee
the
two
cou t ies,
as
Wa saw
a d
Kyiv
emai
divided
ove
the
killi gs
that
took
place
du i g
Wo ld
Wa
2.Polish
officials
a d
esea che s
say
Moscow
has
sha ply
i c eased
o li e
messagi g
i
Pola d
a ou d
the
Volhy ia
massac es,
while
also
usi g
the
issue
to
fuel
a ge
agai st
Uk ai ia s
livi g
i
the
cou t y.The
campaig
has
la gely
played
out
o
social
media,
with
much
of
the
co te t
appea i g
i
Polish.
A alysts
say
the
aim
is
ot
always
to
c eate
completely
false
sto ies,
but
to
amplify
eal
disputes
i
ways
that
ca
deepe
existi g
divisio s.
How
Russia
is
‘exploiti g’
the
Volhy ia
dispute
The
histo ical
dispute
ce t es
o
the
Volhy ia
massac es
betwee
1943
a d
1945.
Pola d
says
Uk ai ia
atio alists
killed
a ou d
100,000
Poles
du i g
the
viole ce,
while
thousa ds
of
Uk ai ia s
we e
also
killed
i
etaliato y
attacks.Te sio s
ove
the
issue
i c eased
afte
Uk ai ia
P eside t
Volodymy
Zele skyy
amed
a
a my
u it
afte
i su ge ts
li ked
to
the
massac es.
Polish
p eside t
Ka ol
Naw ocki,
who
is
f om
the
political
ight,
espo ded
by
st ippi g
Zele skyy
of
a
majo
Polish
ho ou
i
Ju e.
Polish
deputy
digital
mi iste
Pawel
Olszewski
said
the
disag eeme t
was
quickly
followed
by
a
su ge
i
Russia
messagi g
ac oss
social
media
a d
Russia
media
platfo ms,
i cludi g
Teleg am.Resea ch
by
the
state-backed
Polish
I stitute
of
I te atio al
Affai s
fou d
that
Polish-la guage
a ti-Uk ai ia
co te t
o
X,
Facebook,
I stag am,
TikTok
a d
YouTube
ose
by
mo e
tha
250%
afte
Zele skyy’s
decisio .Filip
B yjka
of
PISM
said
much
of
this
i c ease
appea ed
to
have
bee
a tificially
boosted
th ough
bots,
c eati g
the
imp essio
that
a ti-Uk ai ia
se time t
was
sp eadi g
apidly.
The
facts
may
be
eal,
but
the
a ative
ca
still
be
ma ipulated
A alysts
say
o e
easo
this
type
of
campaig
is
difficult
to
detect
is
that
it
does
ot
ecessa ily
depe d
o
completely
fab icated
i fo matio .I stead,
ge ui e
eve ts
a d
histo ical
g ieva ces
ca
be
epeatedly
highlighted
a d
f amed
i
ways
that
e cou age
a ge
towa ds
a
pa ticula
g oup.”The
eve t
is
eal,
but
the
i te p etatio
is
imposed
by
a
exte al
acto ,”
said
Wojciech
Poko a,
a
a alyst
at
I fo
Ops
Pola d
Fou datio .Moscow
has
ejected
the
accusatio s.
The
Russia
embassy
i
Wa saw
said
Russia
does
ot
i te fe e
i
elatio s
betwee
othe
cou t ies.”The
Russia
Fede atio
does
ot
i te fe e
i
the
elatio s
betwee
othe
states,”
the
Russia
embassy
i
Wa saw
said
i
a
emailed
stateme t,
addi g
that
accusatio s
about
Russia
sp eadi g
disi fo matio
to
u de mi e
suppo t
fo
Uk ai e
a e
baseless.The
issue
has
gai ed
g eate
impo ta ce
because
Pola d
emai s
o e
of
Uk ai e’s
st o gest
suppo te s
i
its
wa
agai st
Russia,
but
public
backi g
fo
Uk ai e
has
weake ed.A
IBRiS
poll
published
last
mo th
fou d
that
33.6%
of
espo de ts
said
thei
attitude
towa ds
Uk ai ia s
had
wo se ed
followi g
the
latest
dispute
li ked
to
the
Wo ld
Wa
Two
killi gs.A othe
IBRiS
su vey
fou d
that
suppo t
fo
co ti ui g
milita y
assista ce
to
Uk ai e
had
falle
to
52%,
compa ed
with
78%
i
2022.
Uk ai e
fatigue
c eates
fe tile
g ou d
fo
the
campaig
Resea che s
cautio
that
decli i g
suppo t
fo
Uk ai e
ca ot
be
blamed
e ti ely
o
Russia
i flue ce.Pola d
is
home
to
a
estimated
1.8
to
1.9
millio
Uk ai ia
mig a ts,
while
disag eeme ts
ove
g ai
impo ts
a d
the
u esolved
legacy
of
the
Volhy ia
killi gs
have
also
co t ibuted
to
public
f ust atio .Olszewski
said
the
Russia
messagi g
had
“falle
o
fe tile
g ou d”.Mea while,
hostility
towa ds
Uk ai ia s
i
Pola d
has
epo tedly
i c eased,
p ompti g
p ime
mi iste
Do ald
Tusk
to
call
fo
a
e d
to
xe ophobic
attacks.The
issue
could
become
eve
mo e
politically
sig ifica t
ahead
of
Pola d’s
2027
pa liame ta y
electio s.
Polli g
suggests
Tusk’s
p o-Eu opea
gove me t
could
st uggle
to
etai
powe ,
while
suppo t
fo
the
fa – ight
has
bee
g owi g.That
makes
the
Volhy ia
dispute
mo e
tha
a
histo ical
a gume t.
Fo
Pola d,
it
touches
o
a
pai ful
atio al
memo y.
Fo
Uk ai e,
it
is
pa t
of
a
complicated
sha ed
histo y
with
its
eighbou .
A d
fo
Russia,
Polish
a alysts
a gue,
the
disag eeme t
offe s
a
oppo tu ity
to
deepe
divisio s
betwee
two
cou t ies
that
have
othe wise
stood
togethe
agai st
Moscow.