Russian fake in Warsaw Metro: "Stand up for protection of ancestral Polish lands"

Propagandists forge social advertising to promote a narrative of Poland's occupation of western Ukraine

Russia doesn’t stop trying to create public opinion about Poland's imminent occupation of western Ukraine. This time, propagandist Telegram channels are spreading videos from the Warsaw Metro stations "Ratusz Arsenał" and "Centrum", where there is allegedly a poster with calls "Stand up for the protection of ancestral Polish lands. Become a Leopard tank operator. Protect Poland in Ukraine". "Everything is leading to the division of Ukraine and the third world war," Russian propagandists conclude.

There are no such posters in the Warsaw Metro, Grzegorz Popielarz, director of the Warsaw Metro rent and advertising office, told Ukrinform.

"After checking, I can firmly state that it is a fake," he emphasized.

Recently, the Russian narrative on Poland's occupation of western Ukraine has become one of the most widespread. After top propagandists and even officials of the Russian Federation tried to promote it last year, it got a new lease of life already in 2023. After a statement by Polish President Duda about the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the Russians have already suggested that the payment could be a part of the territory of Ukraine. In addition, the propagandists tried to confirm their narrative with disinformation that street name signs in Lviv will be duplicated in Polish. They also resorted to manipulations on the Ukrainian online platform OLX.

Forgery of social advertising is one of the tools often used by Russian propaganda to create fake stories.

Dmytro Badrak