In a forest clearing, two individuals stand behind wooden poles displaying affixed portraits.
The images include U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk. A U.S. flag hangs before them.
The individuals wear camouflage uniforms with blue markings, reminiscent of those used by Ukrainian soldiers for battlefield identification.
“We don’t need allies like you,” one states in Ukrainian, before setting fire to the flag and portraits.
However, this video, disseminated to thousands of subscribers on a Polish-language Telegram channel, is a fabrication. The uniforms are readily available online, and the Ukrainian dialogue is poorly pronounced, exhibiting a strong Russian accent.
It originated on the Polska Grupa Informacyjna Telegram channel—one of 22 Polish-language channels, collectively boasting over 150,000 subscribers, identified by the BBC as purveyors of pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda.
While Telegram’s usage in Poland is limited, experts note its effectiveness in amplifying false narratives within extremist groups, which subsequently spread to broader platforms.
These 22 channels predominantly present themselves as Polish news sources. Two claim impartiality, while others promise unbiased or “reliable and verified” information. One even boasts of delivering “truth where needed.”
Many frequently cite or replicate content from Russian state media outlets like RT and Sputnik, banned within the European Union for information manipulation and propaganda dissemination.
The channels often quote or link to Russian regime figures and supporters, including President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Maria Zakharova, Vladimir Solovyov, and pro-Russian “Z-bloggers.”
Some posts contain demonstrably false information. For instance, UKR LEAKS_pl displayed an image depicting individuals applying fake blood, captioned “how the ‘Bucha victims’ were prepared,” implying the documented killings of Ukrainians by Russian forces were staged.
Ukrainian leaders and soldiers are frequently labeled “Nazis.” InfoDefensePOLAND, for example, referred to the Kyiv government as a “Nazi regime” controlled by the West.
A common tactic involves blending true and false information or omitting crucial details to create a misleading impression. For example, the June 17th deadly Russian attack on Kyiv was largely ignored by over half of the channels, some instead focusing on Russian advances or blaming Ukraine for the casualties.
BBC analysis reveals many channels emerged around the 2022 invasion, with at least three initially operating in Russian before rebranding as Polish.
Telegram data shows frequent cross-referencing and mutual promotion among these channels, particularly in 2022-2023.
Poland has been a crucial supporter of Ukraine, providing significant aid and hosting Ukrainian refugees. However, Russian disinformation has become a significant concern.
Aleksy Szymkiewicz of Demagog, a Polish fact-checking organization, describes Telegram as the “starting point” for disinformation, spreading to larger platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
These channels aim to undermine support for Ukraine, polarize public opinion, and sow discord between Polish and Ukrainian societies, exacerbating existing anxieties regarding refugees.
Some messages are overtly pro-Russian, while others subtly suggest increased military spending impoverishes citizens, or use unsubstantiated generalizations to portray Ukrainian refugees negatively.
Filip Głowacz of NASK highlights Poland’s historical resentment towards Russia, noting that explicitly pro-Russian messaging is less effective, often blended with far-right content and conspiracy theories.
Telegram’s influence among these groups is significant. While channel origins remain obscure, links to Russia or Belarus are suspected, with posting schedules suggesting alignment with Moscow’s working hours.
UKR LEAKS_pl is linked to Vasily Prozorov, a former Ukrainian security officer collaborating with Russia. InfoDefensePOLAND is connected to Yury Podolyaka, a pro-Kremlin blogger sentenced in absentia by Ukrainian courts.
Pravda PL, part of a larger pro-Kremlin network, is linked to a Russian IT firm in occupied Crimea and its disinformation is impacting AI chatbot responses, according to Newsguard.
Polska Grupa Informacyjna, while claiming impartiality, shares mixed content and denies promoting pro-Kremlin narratives, stating that some content is shared as examples of online material.
Szymkiewicz emphasizes the concern of pro-Russian disinformation’s presence, legitimizing Russian narratives within Polish discourse and allowing content from banned outlets to persist.
BBC World Service launched a new language service, BBC News Polska. It’s the first new BBC language service since March 2018, offering impartial journalism to Polish speakers and utilizing AI translation with human editorial oversight.
New service to deliver independent and impartial news for Polish-speaking audiences.
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