Fighting history: in Poland, they suggested launching a media campaign dedicated to World War II

At the Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM) under the government of the republic, they took the initiative to launch a media campaign to form a certain public opinion about the events of World War II. This is stated in the bulletin of the institute, the text of which was reviewed by RT.

“Poland, alone or in consultation with the Baltic countries, Germany and other states supporting Warsaw’s opposition to Russian information warfare tactics, should consider preparing a campaign aimed at creating international public opinion on the course of World War II, with the participation of institutions studying the relevant historical period, ”the document says.

The goal of this information campaign, in particular, should be the countries of the former Soviet Union, whose inhabitants are “still convinced” that the Red Army played a key role in freeing the world from Nazism, the author of the newsletter writes.

“It is extremely important that this information campaign be aimed at the countries of the former USSR, where the population is still convinced of the liberating role of the Red Army in World War II, and therefore people do not understand the desire of the Polish authorities to demolish“ monuments of gratitude ”to Soviet soldiers,” - noted in PISM.

According to the head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, such a media campaign is primarily intended to unite countries with a certain vision of history in order to "create the effect of the crowd."

“To evaluate this initiative can only be political. It certainly does not pursue the scientific goals of establishing historical truth. This is a slogan campaign in an attempt to rally the interpreters of history (pre-war, military, post-war) who adhere to a certain point of view on this story in order to create the effect of a crowd ... This is what is behind this initiative. There is no honesty and decency in it. Only the political situation, ”the senator explained in an interview with RT.

Moscow has repeatedly pointed out the need to prevent distortion of historical events. So, on January 15, during the announcement of the message to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin sharply condemned attempts to re-read history and called for defending the truth about the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

“Otherwise, what shall we say to our children if a lie, like an infection, spreads all over the world? We must contrast facts with impudent lies, attempts to rewrite history, ”the Russian leader said.

• Military parade at the Westerplatte monument in Gdansk during a ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II
• © Simon Krawczyk / AFP

The document of the Polish government institute also emphasizes that the goal of a media campaign should be not only counteraction to the "distortion" of history by Russia, but also the formation of a "correct" historical memory.

In addition to launching the mentioned campaign, the author of the document, political analyst Anna Maria Dyner, suggests opposing the Russian agenda at the level of international organizations. For this, as indicated in the bulletin, it is necessary to use such platforms as the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

“An important role will be played by the activity (initiating debates and introducing draft resolutions) of Polish parliamentarians in the assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, especially in connection with the intensification of anti-historic measures taken by Russia in order to disseminate its version of events regarding the Second World War,” the author of the document believes.

Assessing the possibility of supporting such an idea from the above-mentioned organizations, Kosachev emphasized that any political institution that allows a free interpretation of the results of World War II runs the risk of contradicting the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal.

“All structures, starting with the European Parliament and ending with any others that would allow this kind of interpretation of history, would conflict with the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal - the only source of historical truth. His conclusions were formed by those who directly participated in the events of that war. Everything that will appear in parallel ... will be a direct distortion of history and a contradiction to the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal, ”the source said.

Representatives of Western countries have repeatedly pointed to the systemic nature of information provocations on the topic of history on the part of Western countries. So, on January 23, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Poland had decided to launch a large-scale disinformation campaign against Moscow on the theme of World War II.

Information Warfare Tool

Justifying the need to launch the proposed media campaign, PISM also accuses Russia of allegedly manipulating historical facts to build its own foreign policy line.

“Russia has resorted to the use of historical politics in creating a national society and interacting with other countries, both to maintain good relations and as a means of information war against those with whom it has strained relations,” the document’s author writes.

According to the author of the publication, “historical politics is an important propaganda tool,” and Russia began to resort to it especially actively in 2015 in connection with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. At the same time, the newsletter also notes that Russian media such as RT and Sputnik are used to disseminate such ideas and assessments.

Meanwhile, the Russian side has repeatedly called upon the international community to objectively evaluate historical facts and pointed out the unacceptability of their political interpretations. So, the chairman of the lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, called the priority the issue of protecting historical memory in the international work of State Duma deputies.

“For us it was always important that the history does not correspond, the truth about the war is not distorted. There are facts that are unchanged. But today we see how the politicians of a number of countries do everything in order to distort them, rewrite history in their interests. This is unacceptable, ”he said.

The PISM newsletter also expresses the view that the theme of World War II for Russia is one of the ways to unite the countries of the former USSR and form the so-called “Russian world”.

“More often than not, the Russian authorities exploit the theme of World War II ... to spread the idea that the Soviet Union won the victory in World War II and World War II thanks to the self-sacrifice of Red Army soldiers. This promotes the unification of most countries of the former USSR and the preservation of a sense of historical community, as well as informs Western European countries of the message of the Russian leadership that they owe their freedom to the military efforts of the USSR, ”the document says.

As Dmitry Novikov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, noted in a conversation with RT, the protection of historical truth is necessary in the context of an increasingly widespread politicized interpretation of history.

“Russia cannot but cultivate what is the historical truth about an event of tremendous significance for world history, because very dangerous and cynical attempts are made to revise many historical events,” Novikov said.

• The banner group at the Victory Day parade on Red Square
• © Alexander Wilf / RIA News

Other aspects of “manipulation” by Moscow, as the author of the newsletter writes, are the Holocaust and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which Russia “uses to develop friendly relations with Israel” and strengthen its position in the Middle East, as well as to create tension in Polish-Israeli relations .

At the same time, at the end of January, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged not to forget the historical truth about the Holocaust, personally thanking Vladimir Putin for the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army.

“I would like to thank the Red Army for liberating the Auschwitz concentration camp and helping the victory over Nazi Germany,” Katz said.

Autopsy of the historical truth

The author of the PISM newsletter pays particular attention to denouncing Russia's current policy towards Poland. It is noted that Moscow allegedly transfers responsibility to the outbreak of World War II to Warsaw.

"Shifting to Poland joint responsibility (with Germany) for the outbreak of World War II, President Vladimir Putin is trying to justify the actions of the USSR and thereby remove the stigma of the aggressor," the author of the document writes.

Commenting on this thesis, Konstantin Kosachev noted that such a reaction of the Polish side is connected with its desire to prevent the comprehension of the real facts of the historical process.

“Now the autopsy of the real historical truth has begun, the President of the Russian Federation spoke about this, numerous archival documents testify to this, which are now becoming public. It’s extremely inconvenient for the Poles to find themselves in a situation where so many questions arise against their “only true” version of history, ”the senator explained.

The author of the PISM document also expresses the view that one of the goals of “Russian propaganda” is to undermine the unity of European countries.

“Controversial issues of history can also be used by Russia in order to provoke conflicts between Poland and Ukraine or Poland and Lithuania. Russian propaganda can use interpretations of the events of the war to undermine European unity, in particular, pointing out that France and Great Britain did not immediately come to the aid of Poland, ”the document says.

The Russian side has repeatedly denied such allegations. In particular, as stated by the head of the Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, Moscow is interested in a strong European Union, despite the widespread speculation, which states the opposite.

In turn, Anton Morozov, a member of the State Duma’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, noted that talking about politics was inappropriate in discussing historical facts. Commenting on the passage about “activities” aimed at undermining European unity, the parliamentarian noted that Russia is neutral in relations between countries within the EU.

“Russia is completely indifferent to the way in which European states will build relations with each other,” the deputy explained.

• A worker demolishes a monument to soldiers of the Soviet army in a Warsaw park
• Reuters
• © Kacper Pempel

Another example of allegedly unfair claims against Poland, the author of the PISM newsletter writes, is a criticism of the Polish policy of demolition of monuments to the heroes of the Red Army, which is opposed not only in Moscow, but also in a number of other countries of the former Soviet Union.

“Some CIS countries oppose Poland’s policy to eliminate the so-called“ monuments of gratitude ”of the Red Army. These states claim that not only Russians fought in its ranks and that the liquidation of these monuments erases the memory of the role of their citizens, ”the author of the document states.

Recall that in 2017 Poland adopted amendments to the law on decommunization, providing for the removal from public space until March 31, 2018 of memorial objects that “propagandize communism” and are located outside the territory of military graves.

According to Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreev, in 1997 there were 561 Soviet monuments on the territory of the country outside the burial sites, and by 2018 the number of monuments was reduced to 134.

Any such attempted abuse of history was condemned by MP Anton Morozov.

“Demolition of monuments is an abuse of the history of our common struggle against fascism and Nazism. I consider it inappropriate to politicize this issue. It is necessary to leave the monuments alone and not mock the ashes of the fallen soldiers - liberators of Europe, ”the parliamentarian emphasized.