In Strasbourg, during a plenary session of the European Parliament, a debate took place on Russian disinformation and its distortion of history to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine. PiS MEPs Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Adam Bielan, and Michał Dworczyk took the floor during the discussion.
Arkadiusz Mularczyk noted that Russia’s disinformation and distortion of history are among the Kremlin’s key tools, used for decades not only to justify its criminal aggression against Ukraine but also to pursue imperial and aggressive policies toward all its neighbors. “All of Russia’s neighbors are familiar with this propaganda, disinformation, and Russia’s imperial policies. My country, Poland, is also familiar with them,” said the MEP. He recalled that the Kremlin cynically reverses the roles of victim and aggressor, presenting its brutal war as a mission of liberation. He pointed out that this is a dangerous manipulation intended to sow division and chaos not only in Europe but also around the world.
“Poland knows these mechanisms all too well, as for decades after World War II it was a victim of historical distortion, symbolized, for example, by the Katyn massacre—the murder of 22,000 Polish officers—which the Soviet Union tried to pin on others,” the Polish politician recalled. In this context, he noted that, unfortunately, disturbing historical revisionism is also emerging in Europe today. He pointed to the crimes of World War II, which are presented and obscured through impersonal terms. As an example, he cited the use of the word “Nazis” instead of referring to the actual perpetrators—the Germans—in public debate. “We still hear shameful statements about ‘Polish concentration camps,’ even though it was the Germans who created these camps on Polish soil—these death factories where millions of Poles, Jews, and citizens of other nationalities perished,” — said the Polish politician, noting that these lies undermine not only the truth but also the dignity of the victims.
The PiS MEP also reported that Poland has prepared a historical report on war losses and sent a diplomatic note to the German government, demanding justice and historical truth in this matter. “This is an expression of our concern for historical memory and our fight for justice,” he noted.
Mularczyk pointed out that today the Kremlin is resorting to the same methods as in the past. “By falsifying history, it is trying to justify its aggression against Ukraine and divert attention from its own crimes,” he pointed out. He explained that this is an attempt to use history as a propaganda weapon that destabilizes the present. He also said that history shows that falsifying the past leads to an escalation of violence, and that Poles, who have been fighting for historical truth for years, know how dangerous such manipulations are. “Remaining silent in the face of Russian propaganda will have tragic consequences. Defending the truth is our duty to the victims of the past and to future generations,” he concluded.
Adam Bielan stated that Russia’s disinformation is not limited to its borders but “is a global weapon of chaos and manipulation.” “By distorting facts, falsifying credible sources, and interfering in elections, Putin seeks to sow discord, undermine our unity, and pressure us into abandoning our support for Ukraine in its fight for freedom,” the Polish politician said.
As another example of Russian disinformation and manipulation, the MEP cited an incident that took place during last year’s parliamentary elections in Poland. “The Russian Federation attempted to harm the Law and Justice party by sending hundreds of thousands of text messages to Polish citizens, with the aim of ridiculing and discrediting the party. Ultimately, this was intended to weaken public support for PiS and assist the architects of the policy of “reset” toward Putin, who are now in power,” explained the chair of the Polish delegation in the ECR Group.
The MEP made it clear that Russia’s war against Ukraine is not based on legitimate self-defense or historical claims, but on propaganda that blurs the lines between aggressor and victim, while rewriting centuries of Ukrainian history. He also called on the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, to present further initiatives aimed at strengthening the European Union’s collective defense and its partnership with NATO to ensure the security of Europeans.
Michał Dworczyk stated that falsifying history is a well-known method of Russian politics. He recalled that on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin delivered a speech riddled with lies intended to justify the attack on that country. “Propaganda was the first weapon used in this full-scale aggression,” he noted. He pointed out that Putin has repeatedly whitewashed the Soviet Union’s shared responsibility for triggering World War II, and that he still refers to the 1939 invasion of Poland—which brought terror, murder, and decades of enslavement—as “liberation.”
“Europe must be a leader in the fight for the truth, including historical truth. It is our duty to speak out loudly about the victims of the Russian regime’s crimes, as well as those of other totalitarian regimes,” stated the PiS MEP. Michał Dworczyk also expressed his support for the project to build the European Monument to the Victims of Totalitarianism and 20th-Century Regimes in Brussels and called on the Commission to take action to expedite this project. The MEP once again emphasized that only a complete victory for Ukraine will ensure lasting peace in Europe. “This will be the foundation of justice and a response to Russia’s imperial ambitions in the spirit of truth,” he noted.
