In 2022 Russia was at the centre of Polish attention. Today, despite the ongoing war and the increasingly aggressive policies of the Kremlin, this subject has clearly disappeared from public debate. According to Paulina Siegień, writer “Newsweek” and investigator of east Europe, Russia has become a “played card” – a subject that has been considered politically unattractive and thus marginalised.
Paulina Siegień, Newsweek photograph by Martyna Niećko However, this gap does not stay empty. It was replaced by anti-Ukrainian sentiments, effectively fueled by Russian disinformation. Siegień points out that the scale of social change is striking: from mass support for Ukraine in the first year of the war to fatigue, resentment and open hostility a fewer years later. Politicians rapidly realized that the "anti-Ukrainian charter" was making electoral profits.
At the same time, Russia – although absent in Polish communicative – remains very present in Russian narrative. In the media there, Poland is portrayed as a riot state, a "rebellious Western colony", and even an accessory to the outbreak of planet War II. There are besides threats of “denasification” of Poland, already known for propaganda directed earlier in Ukraine.
Maybe we're pro-Russian. Paulina Siegień. Zet generation at the company: Victoria Nowak. Highland
According to Siegeń, it is peculiarly worrying that Poland is under strong geopolitical force today, without real alternatives. Military dependence on the United States, increasing distrust of the European Union and the deficiency of consistent information policy make the country even unconsciously drift towards the Russian-Chinese sphere of influence. This does not necessarily mean military aggression; a script of economical and political aggression is much more likely.
The talker besides points to the state's failure to fight misinformation. Although government reports clearly show the scale of pro-Russian narratives in social media, real actions are almost impossible to see. Meanwhile, propaganda effectively reaches younger generations, for which Russia is no longer a historical threat, but an abstract, "normal" country known from TikTok and Instagram.
Maybe we're pro-Russian. Paulina Siegień. Zet generation at the company: Victoria Nowak. Highland
In the background of these processes there is another problem: the illusion of security. Poland invests billions in the protection of borders, while at the same time, as the events at the border with Belarus show, these systems prove to be hollow and ineffective.
The hybrid war, as Siegień emphasizes, takes place not only at the borders but above all “in our heads”.However, the top paradox is that Ukraine and its army stay the best warrant of Poland's safety today. Weakening support for Kiev – under the influence of fear, fatigue and misinformation – means acting against your own interests.
– We can't just sit on 2 horses. – summarizes Siegień. The deficiency of a clear choice can make Poland wake up in a fresh geopolitical reality, which it will no longer have any influence on.
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