"Rostislav Ishchenko, who supports Russia's criminal policy, claims that Poland intends to transform Ukraine into a buffer zone separating it from Russia, where the Polish army will be stationed," Żaryn wrote.
Mateusz Marek/PAP

Russian propaganda is claiming that Poland has plans to seize part of Ukrainian territory, a senior government security official has said.

Stanisław Żaryn, government commissioner for information space security, wrote on Twitter on Friday that Russia’s so-called “political scientists”, who pursue the goals of Russian propaganda, continue to promote false information about Poland and its alleged plans to attack Ukraine.

“Rostislav Ishchenko, who supports Russia’s criminal policy, claims that Poland intends to transform Ukraine into a buffer zone separating it from Russia, where the Polish army will be stationed,” Żaryn wrote.

He added that the “political scientist” argues that Ukraine was considered a Polish protectorate after World War II.

“Ishchenko uses lies about ‘Polish plans’ to make Russian imperial policy towards Ukraine credible. Once again, Russian propaganda suggests that only Russia can stop the ‘imperialism of the Republic of Poland’,” he wrote.

The false narrative, popularised in the Russian media about the brutality and ruthlessness of “Polish mercenaries” in Ukraine, who apparently use mobilised Ukrainians as “cannon fodder”, Żaryn continued, is used as evidence about the alleged subordination of Ukrainians and Ukrainian territories by Poles.

“The lies spread by R. Ishchenko are to authenticate the Kremlin’s message regarding the reasons for the attack on Ukraine. Russia must wage war because its interests are ‘threatened’ by Polish imperialism,” he wrote.