Russia Calls Poland "Hostile", Warns Of Intervention In Belarus In Event Of Coup
Discover more from The Standeford Journal
Russia Calls Poland "Hostile", Warns Of Intervention In Belarus In Event Of Coup
Russian state-run media takes Polish media out of context, claims Poland intends to carry out a coup in Belarus
MOSCOW - Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called Poland “hostile” and addressed claims by Russian and Belarusian officials that Poland is planning a coup in Belarus, and says that if this happens, Russia will step in and intervene.
The claim that Poland plans to initiate a coup in Belarus originated from a Polish media outlet Polsat, which cited the former Polish commander of the Land Forces General Waldemar Skrzypczak as saying "Let's prepare for an uprising in Belarus because it will happen. The point is that we do not oversleep this moment”.
The Polish news agency further cited the General as saying that, "the Belarusian people will support them and enthusiastically go against Lukashenko".
Russian state-run news agency TASS cited Peskov as saying, “The Polish leadership is now literally gripped by a Russophobic hysteria and we see that this country, which is hostile to us, openly talks about its intention to interfere, including by means of force, in the internal affairs of a neighboring country".
Peskov went on to say that Belarus is Russia’s “partner, ally and a brotherly country,” and added, “Of course, the Russian Federation has commitments about ensuring Belarus’s security, which is what we will do in the face of this evident threat”.
He also said that "Poland is a country that’s hostile to us. That's how far I would go. I wouldn’t call it [simply] unfriendly”.
Full Context Of The Polish Media Report Citing General Skrzypczak
Russian media reports of what General Skrzypczak said were based on only a partial context of the Polish Polsat report. The Polish report did not elude to Poland being the one to cause the uprising spoken of in the report.
Rather than saying that Poland would be the one responsible for an uprising, the Polsat report cited the General as saying that “If the Ukrainian counter-offensive is successful, those armed Belarusians who are part of the military potential of the Ukrainian army will not lay down their weapons”.
The report continued to cite him as saying that they [The armed Belarusians who are part of the Ukrainian army] would “go to Belarus”. He then said that he hopes “that this will trigger an uprising in Belarus, that is what Lukashenko is afraid of”.
After this important context, then he said, “Let's prepare for an uprising in Belarus because it will happen. The point is that we do not oversleep at this moment”.
He also was cited as saying, “You have to be ready to support those units that will carry out the operation against Lukashenko. We have reasons to help them, just as we help Ukrainians”.
“The Belarusian people will support them and enthusiastically go against Lukashenko,” he said, adding, “He no longer has the military capacity to prevent such an uprising. Russia won't help him much because it will have its own problems".
“If this uprising takes place, there will certainly be an exodus of Belarusians towards Poland and we must be ready for it,” the Polish General concluded.
In Full Context, This Is Not Tantamount To A Polish Coup In Belarus
When read in full context, the statements made by General Skrzypczak are not tantamount to carrying out a coup in Belarus, but rather voicing support for Ukrainians and Belarusians within Ukraine carrying out a coup within Belarus, and being ready to receive Belarusians exiting the country into Poland.
Furthermore, the statement “We have reasons to help them, just as we help Ukrainians” makes it clear that the General is not saying that Poland should take part in any coup, but rather aid them just as they are currently doing with the Ukrainians.
“Help” or aid could mean many things, it does not necessarily mean physically taking part in a coup within Belarus. For instance, Poland is currently helping Ukraine by sending military aid to the country.
Although this could be labeled as “grey zone” warfare, it does not necessarily mean the country is officially involved in Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Polsat Further Clarifies Their Own Context In Additional Reporting
In an additional report, Polsat clarified the context within their report by saying, “According to the general, the events in the Belgorod region in Russia are an example of what may happen in Belarus in the coming years. in the country There may be a civil war and attempts to overthrow Lukashenko's regime by the forces of, among others, Kalinowski Regiment”.
“Lukashenko once again repeated his narrative about the alleged willingness of the authorities in Poland to attack Belarus. - Unfortunately, they do not listen to my statements”.
The report added, “You probably know that a few months ago I said that they were preparing for an uprising, a revolution. I don't know what they are preparing for in Belarus. Some kind of rebellion, maybe another, we've known for a long time”.
Polsat Cites Ukrainian Media, Which Interpreted The General’s Words Differently
Polsat cited Ukrainian media as interpreting the General’s words differently, and in context by saying, “The media in Ukraine approach the words that were heard on Polsat News in a completely different way. The most popular portals emphasized that the expert only expressed the need to be interested in the situation”.
"Kremlin propaganda twisted the words of the retired Polish general and announced the threat of organizing a coup d'état by the Polish authorities in Belarus," Polsat cited informator.ua as saying.
Our Verdict: Polsat’s Report Was Taken Out Of Context
It is clear that Russia took Polsat’s reports out of context and either mistakingly, or purposefully altered the meaning.