It’s the 24th of February, 5:29 a.m. Moscow Standard Time. It’s Thursday, so many residents of the Russian capital city are asleep. But not all of them. The government headquarters are unusually busy for this time of day. Everyone is whispering in anticipation, impatiently staring at the TV display with some unspoken tension in the air.
5:30 a.m. – a familiar figure appears on the screen. He opens his mouth and begins to speak.
“Dear citizens of Russia. Friends. Today, I consider it necessary to speak again about the tragic events happening in Donbas.”
Nobody dares to say a word now. The man, although not physically present among them, appears to have a strong hold on everyone watching. It doesn’t seem, however, like a sign of pure respect. There is a sparkle of fear in their eyes, which is most appropriate in this instance. The person they are watching with so much attention is the exact person accused of killing many political rivals and hundreds of thousands of civilians, including “more than 250,000 innocent Chechens”, in the early 21st century. The person they are watching is the president of the Russian Federation and the previous head of the National Security Council, Vladimir Putin.
“I’ll repeat: they have lied to us. To say in the common language of our nation – simply fooled us.”
The national TV broadcast took that early morning to showcase their leader speaking to his people and inform them of the difficult position they found themselves in, or rather – were put in. By whom, you may ask? The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) with the United States of America and its current president, Joe Biden, at the forefront. What did the Russian government decide to do to protect its citizens? Send them to war with Ukrainian “drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.
NATO and the European Union (EU) did not heed Russia’s warnings of retaliation and chose to support the Ukrainian army in its fight for independence. This support transformed what Putin likely intended as a swift military operation into a prolonged, nearly three-year conflict that is still ongoing. However, it’s not only the Kremlin expressing frustration over these events. Citizens in many of the countries (i.e. Americans and Germans) aiding Ukraine have grown dissatisfied, viewing this assistance as an expenditure of their tax money on foreign needs instead of addressing issues of their own.
Poles have, in particular, grown increasingly hostile towards their state’s efforts to protect the Ukrainian people and their state’s independence. This sentiment, however, is fueled by more than just Poland’s or the high number of Eastern refugees in the country. The two nations share a lot of difficult history, with the most contextually significant event being the Volhynian Massacre — an act of genocide committed in German-occupied Poland by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army under the command of Stepan Bandera.
Despite the clear correlation, the Ukrainian representatives continue denying that their soldiers were involved in the massacre and ignore the repeated requests from the Polish government to permit the exhumation of the victims’ remains from Ukrainian soil. They have yet to formally condemn the actions of the Volhynian massacre at all, which is likely because, in Ukraine’s historical narrative, Bandera is venerated as the greatest national hero. Acknowledging these crimes would mean admitting that this idealised figure was responsible for brutal acts against civilians. Such an admission could not only shatter Bandera’s cult-like status but might also lend credibility to Putin’s rhetoric regarding Ukraine.
“Don’t let Neo-Nazis and Banderovtsi* use your children, your wives, and the elderly as living shields.”
Although Poland extended nothing but support and friendship for the first two years of the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to address this issue. When faced with increasing pressure from the Polish government, he distanced himself. Today, many politicians— including Poland’s deputy prime and defence minister— are openly demanding that Ukraine acknowledge the crimes committed in Volhynia. They warn that, without this acknowledgment, Poland will not support Ukraine’s bid to join the EU — a serious threat, as it requires unanimous approval from all member countries for acceptance.
As of 6 November 2024, the Ukrainian government remains unwilling to address the issue, aggravating many Polish politicians and patriots. This tension is further stoked by the strategic activity of the Russian disinformation network (aka trolls) online. Research from one of Poland’s largest banks estimates that around 120,000 pieces of fake news have been posted by these actors daily within the Polish digital space. Their primary objective in Poland seems to be swaying public opinion on Russia, Ukraine, and their ongoing conflict. However, they are far from focused on only one country, as evidenced by the FBI findings regarding Russian attempts to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.
The candidate of the Republican party and the previous president, Donald Trump, has spoken about his great respect for Putin on multiple occasions and even praised his choice to invade Ukraine. According to a former national security adviser and the current vice president Kamala Harris, Trump’s praise is a result of the Kremlin’s manipulation— which he falls victim to easily if combined with flattery. Since the USA has been one of the main sponsors of the Ukrainian army since the 24th of January 2024, it is in the greatest interest of Russia for Donald Trump to win the 2024 elections in the USA. Especially since the opposing candidate, Kamala Harris, the vice president of the current government — the one showing unwavering support for Ukraine.
Researching online discourse regarding Polish sentiments towards Ukrainian migrants in Poland has led me to observe how attitudes on social media platforms have evolved. Initially, support for Ukraine was conditioned by Polish disdain for Russia and its president. However, over time, this dynamic has completely shifted. More people now express support for Putin, and by extension Trump, due to their growing frustration with Ukraine.
While following the comment sections of numerous TikTok live streams focused on the situation in Ukraine, many comments expressed hope that Trump would win the 2024 U.S. election and finally end the financial support Ukraine is receiving, which many Poles viewed as draining their hard-earned tax money. Some commenters even suggested that Trump should strike a deal with Putin, who, they claim, could help Poland reclaim lands they believe are “rightfully theirs.” Said rhetoric persists despite Russia’s acts of aggression against Poland, including dropping a missile on Polish territory and the hiring of arsonists to start fires in the country. This alone could be considered proof of the Russian trolls’ success.
Using the word “Banderovtsi” (eng. Banderites – world used in Poland and Russia as a derogatory way to address Ukrainians) by Vladimir Putin during his 24.01.2022 speech was no accident — it was an effort to remind Poles why Ukrainians are no friends of theirs. Although citizens of Poland initially showed great motivation in helping their Eastern neighbours, their current attitude towards them is increasingly negative. Through my research, I found that the most often named “vice” of Ukrainians is their entitlement and rudeness, as well as their continuous denial of Bandera’s crimes against Polish civilians. This seems to align with other reports regarding the issue. Is it possible that these comments were written by Russian trolls? To an extent – yes, there will always be such a threat present. However, I took multiple precautions to ensure the legitimacy of the commentator’s identities.
On November 6th, the world officially found out that Donald Trump won the 2024 elections and will be the president of the USA for the next four years. How will it affect the conflict on the Eastern border of Poland? Will the Polish citizens be happy with the outcome or was Kamala Harris right, and Putin’s ambition was never limited to the rule over Ukrainian lands? Only the future will tell.
By Zuzanna Tabakiernik
November 15, 2024
