{"id":201748,"date":"2026-08-30T14:09:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/201748\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T14:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:09:38","slug":"state-propaganda-revives-poland-as-an-enemy-despite-belarusian-officials-restraint","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/201748\/","title":{"rendered":"State propaganda revives Poland as an enemy despite Belarusian officials\u2019 restraint"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Viktar Ivicki<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editor-in-chief of Hrodna\u2019s state-run newspaper Haradzienskaja Pra\u016dda<\/em> has accused Poland of planning an attack on Belarus. In an article published on August 26, Ta\u0107ciana Siarhiejeva criticized Warsaw\u2019s plan to deploy long-range missile systems in eastern Poland, portraying it as preparation for a first strike.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Anthony Beck \/ pexels.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Behind the backs of ordinary citizens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEast Sword, a military program announced by Poland\u2019s Ministry of Defense on August 21, is an undisguised act of strategic escalation and an insolent challenge to the Union State [of Belarus and Russia],\u201d she said in an article titled \u201cUnion State in the Crosshairs: Long-Range Missile Systems to be Deployed in Eastern Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile Polish propaganda lulls the public into a false sense of security with fairy tales about a defensive East Sword, an instrument of the first strike is being forged behind the backs of ordinary citizens,\u201d said Siarhiejeva, a historian turned ideologist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She accused Poland\u2019s generals of harboring \u201caggressive and offensive\u201d plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe case in point is the creation of a missile potential with a strike range of more than 1000 kilometers,\u201d she went on to say. \u201cMay\u2019s deal between Warsaw and Washington worth $735 million provides for the purchase of several hundred US JASSM-ER cruise missiles with a range of up to 1000 kilometers. Think about these numbers: from Poland\u2019s border areas, these missiles are capable of piercing through the territory of Belarus, reaching the remotest civilian and strategic facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also criticized Poland\u2019s plan to buy hundreds of HIMARS missiles. \u201cThis is not a deterrent weapon. Missiles of such a range and destructive power are bought exclusively for an aggressive offensive war deep in the rear,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She claimed that, \u201cunder the pretext of [a] fictitious \u2018migrant crisis,\u2019\u201d Poland was creating \u201ca colossal strike fist,\u201d turning Belarusian cities into potential targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She warned Poland that it would receive \u201cthe first destructive retaliatory strike\u201d immediately in the event of a real conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland\u2019s view of East Sword<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polskie Radio<\/em> described East Sword as a program intended to deter potential aggressors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is very important to invest in our own and allied capabilities to deliver long-range, high-precision and low-cost strikes,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs part of the East Shield program, we intend to develop the East Sword project focusing on deterrence, since capabilities to deliver long-range, high-precision strikes and means of strategic destruction are of key importance for the security of the Polish state,\u201d Polish Defense Minister W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The radio station pointed out that Poland\u2019s eastern defense system is an element of the Baltic line of defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts of the Russian war against Ukraine fear that Russia may launch a general mobilization after September\u2019s parliamentary election for possible offensive operations against Ukraine and possibly an attack on a NATO country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials\u2019 tempered rhetoric<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article stands in sharp contrast to recent statements by senior officials. For instance, on July 22, Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin told Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka that he saw \u201cno signs of preparations by neighboring states for active actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 16, Air\/Air Defense Commander Andrej Lukjanovi\u010d said in a televised interview that Belarus had observed no aerial threats along its western border. He noted that air defense troops maintained permanent contact with their Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts, who \u201cwarn us of any flights in the border zone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unclear whether Siarhiejeva\u2019s article marks a new shift in official rhetoric or whether she simply missed the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, officials in Minsk are reluctant to acknowledge that NATO is strengthening its eastern flank amid fears that Russia might attack its alliance with Belarus, whether it wins or fails to win the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tax to finance propaganda<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article was funded by a tax that the Belarusian government imposed on advertisers in spring 2022 to finance the production of \u201cnational content.\u201d The tax ranges from 10 percent for outdoor and transport advertising to 20 percent for other types of advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the government raised the VAT rate on data-transfer services from 25 percent to 26 percent to finance content selected by the Information Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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