Russia spreads fakes about Ukraine and Poland through the "Matryoshka" network - CPD
Kyiv • UNN
Russian propaganda spreads fakes styled as Western media to incite hostility between Ukrainians and Poles. The goal of the campaign is to undermine unity and reduce Poland's support for Ukraine.
Russia has launched a new wave of fakes aimed at artificially inciting hostility between Ukrainians and Poles amid misunderstandings that have arisen between official Kyiv and Warsaw due to differences in interpreting the role of the UPA. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD).
Details
To this end, the Russian propaganda machine is spreading fakes stylized as materials from well-known Western media and analytical centers. According to the CCD, bots are spreading false messages through a network of anonymous accounts. In particular, that the director of the Auschwitz Museum allegedly called for not inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to commemorative events due to the "glorification of Nazis."
Russian resources are also promoting fakes that Ukraine, allegedly "to spite the Poles," plans to name several more military units after UPA heroes, and that Polish volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are supposedly dying due to internal conflicts "on the grounds of Nazism."
The CCD emphasized that these messages imitate materials from well-known Western media and an influential analytical center. At the same time, there are no such publications on the official resources of these organizations.
Why Russia is forging well-known European media
In addition, Russian propaganda is spreading falsified front pages of European newspapers with headlines about an alleged escalation of relations between Ukraine and Poland and "Ukrainian Nazism." In reality, the actual front pages of these publications contained other materials.
The CCD noted that the use of fake videos, logos, and front pages of international media is a typical tool of the Russian disinformation network "Matryoshka."
The goal of this campaign is to undermine the unity between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, provoke political tension between Kyiv and Warsaw, and reduce the level of support for Ukraine from Poland.
The involvement of the "Matryoshka" network indicates the involvement of the Russian state in this campaign. Russia is purposefully investing resources in fueling the conflict to weaken and destabilize Ukraine and Poland
Recall
Somewhat earlier, Russia spread a fake announcement on behalf of the police about recruiting teenagers aged 15–17 to the TCC. The National Police and the CCD officially refuted this information.