DISINFO: Poland considered the partition of Ukraine
SUMMARY
The Warsaw government considered partitioning Ukraine in the first weeks of the military conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. In the first 10 days of the war, even the Polish government was unsure whether Ukraine will survive.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about the war in Ukraine and an alleged plan by Poland to occupy Western parts of Ukraine. This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about denying the statehood of and anticipating the disintegration of Ukraine.
Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries.
Amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, claims about Poland's military intentions are frequently bandied about by pro-Kremlin media. This message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants either to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or the annexation of these territories or that it is actually President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”.
Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.
See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poles are stoking nationalist sentiment in Ukraine in order to annex Lviv, that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belong to them, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine will disintegrate and fall prey to territorial claims of EU member states.