The position of the leader of the Polish party “Law and Justice”, Jaroslav Kaczynski, demanding compensation from Germany and Russia for damage caused to Poland during the Second World War, is untenable and historically illiterate, experts are sure.

About financial claims against Moscow and Berlin, Kaczynski said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.

“You are right: Russia must also pay. But I do not think that our generation will catch a moment when Moscow recognizes its responsibility. One thing I can say for sure: our requirements do not have an expiration date! ”Said Kaczynski.

He also accused Russia and its president of historical revisionism.

“But the world knows the truth: on September 17, 1939, the Stalinist Soviet Union attacked Poland,” said the leader of Law and Justice.

The politician also regretted that the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, could not speak at the International Holocaust Remembrance Forum in Israel, where he could restore the “historical truth”. At the same time, Kaczynski is pleased that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel pleaded guilty to the Germans for starting the Second World War.

“Because of them, it was much harder for Russia and its president to spread lies and put Poland in a bad light,” Kaczynski added.

Oleg Morozov, a member of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, in an interview with RT called Kaczynski’s words immoral.

  • The leader of the ruling Polish party, Law and Justice, Jaroslav Kaczynski
  • Reuters
  • © Kacper Pempel

“It is impossible to name it otherwise than political delirium. If you measure everything in any kind of money, you can’t imagine how much the priceless blood that our fathers and grandfathers shed, freeing Poland from the German occupiers, is worth it. It’s absolutely immoral to demand any compensation from Russia, ”the senator believes.

Morozov also noted that such a statement by the leader of the ruling party in Poland "is politically short-sighted and speaks of an attempt to rewrite history and cash in on it."

In turn, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexei Chepa, in a conversation with RT, noted that Soviet soldiers made a huge sacrifice, freeing Poland from the Nazis.

“Such statements are a shame and shame for Warsaw. Our soldiers and officers fought for the liberation of Poland, protecting and protecting the civilian population, ”he said.

According to him, after the war, the Soviet Union invested tremendously in rebuilding this country.

“This is disproportionately more than any possible compensation. It’s insanely unpleasant, embarrassing and insulting to enter into any discussions on this subject, ”the deputy noted.

The head of the international committee of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, commenting on the situation, said that such statements by Kaczynski are an attempt to smooth out the ban on Andrzej Dude's speech at memorial events on the Holocaust.

“Deliberately provocative statements by the leader of the ruling Polish party, Law and Justice, Jaroslaw Kaczynski about Poland’s alleged compensation due to Russia, that is, from the most injured party in World War II, are to some extent an attempt to smooth out the diplomatic failure with the Polish president not participating in commemorative events in Jerusalem, ”said Kosachev.

Senior researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vadim Volobuev recalled that making claims about historical grievances is a long-standing position of the Law and Justice party.

“Poland not only of Russia, but also of Germany and Ukraine makes claims. The fact that the USSR liberated Warsaw for the Polish party "Law and Justice" does not matter. It is necessary to perceive this as a natural phenomenon, it is impossible to change the position of the party, and it does not make sense to discuss it, ”the expert believes.

Deferred claims

This is not the first time that Yaroslav Kaczynski raised the issue of reparations from Germany for the damage caused during World War II. He returned this topic to active discussion in the summer of 2017, when he stated that Poland did not refuse compensation from the Germans. Anthony Matserevich, who was then Minister of Defense, expressed the same point of view, noting that the country has legal grounds for such a position.

  • Supporters of the Law and Justice Party during a demonstration in Warsaw
  • Reuters
  • © Kacper Pempel

Soon, a working group on military reparations was established in the Polish parliament, which estimated the amount of damage at about $ 1 trillion. This figure exceeds the calculations made back in 1947, according to which the damage inflicted was estimated at $ 48 billion, which in today's terms is approximately $ 850 billion.

In addition, Warsaw claims that the 1953 agreement, according to which Poland refused reparations, was signed under pressure from the USSR and affected the German Democratic Republic and the Polish People's Republic (both were members of the Warsaw Bloc), which were not independent states.

The Poles returned to this issue in 2019. In an interview with Bild, Andrzej Duda announced his intention to “bill” Germany for the damage that the country suffered during the Second World War.

“Almost six million Polish citizens were killed, our cities were in ruins, our capital was completely destroyed. Most of those killed were innocent civilians, ”the head of state said.

In September 2019, this position was confirmed by Prime Minister Mateusz Moravecki, who stated that Poland’s losses exceeded the costs of creating a central industrial region in the country in the late 1930s (one of the largest economic projects of the Second Polish Republic).

“Therefore, we need to talk about those losses, we need to remember, we need to seek the truth, we need to demand damages,” said the Polish Prime Minister.

The German Foreign Ministry has repeatedly pointed out to Warsaw that it considers the issue of reparations closed. In particular, such a position in August 2019 was voiced by the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, noting that the Germans did not relieve themselves of moral responsibility for the crimes of the Nazi regime.

Misinformation campaign

According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, Poland decided to launch a large-scale disinformation campaign against Moscow on the theme of the Second World War.

“According to our data ... recently, at an appropriate level in Poland, it was decided to start a large-scale disinformation campaign against our country on directly historical topics related to the Second World War and in our case the Great Patriotic War,” she said.

Zakharova noted that in this matter the Polish authorities are guided, inter alia, by domestic political interests.

A similar point of view is shared by Vadim Volobuev.

“Kaczynski’s claims for compensation for destruction are nonsense, politicking, they have no justification. This is just as absurd as the trillion claims of the Polish party against Germany. This is designed more for the Polish voter, ”said the expert.

According to Vadim Trukhachev, candidate of historical sciences, teacher of the department of foreign regional studies and foreign policy of the Historical Archive Institute of the Russian State Humanitarian University, the Polish authorities made speculation on a historical subject the basis of their domestic and foreign policy.

“Naturally, Warsaw will not receive money either from Moscow or from Berlin. This is pure air shaking and posturing, which is typical of modern Poland. Claims against Russia are absurd, and the issue with Germany was settled back in 1953, as a result of which Poland gained German territory. In addition, Berlin still pays compensation to prisoners of concentration camps, regardless of their nationality. This is pure political speculation and a concussion, ”the expert concluded.