People left on the edge of society often speak truth to power, and reveal inconvenient truths.
For instance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a visit to Poland on April 5, and the Polish media did their best to censor it, at least the news of it before it was to happen. Why?
Was it only because they did not want people to know too much, or was something more sinister going on? Should the truth about this get out to a wider audience, it would sound like classic conspiracy theory, like the Sky is falling, but these have been proven accurate often enough.
I was provided a list of portals which had removed the forewarning of the visit: onet.pl, euronews.com, independent.co.uk, etc. Was this due to security concerns, as with the non-announcements of British or Irish prime ministerial visits to Northern Ireland?
If so, why did Zelenskyy even go?
Don’t Look Up!
The AP described the state visit, on the actual day, as “a gesture of thanks to the neighboring nation for its crucial support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.” It was also described as an opportunity to meet Ukrainians and discuss the grain glut in Poland, which exists due to exports from Ukraine which were supposed to be only in transit—much to the dismay of Polish farmers, who cannot sell their own production at normal prices.
It should come as no surprise in retrospect that during two recent international trips, Zelenskyy travelled through Poland. On his way back from the US and Europe, Ukraine’s president has held meetings with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.
Considering some of the recent media hype describing Poland being the upcoming military force, a powerhouse on the European Continent, one obvious thing they could have discussed is, “Will Poland and Rump Ukraine Unite?”
With the current number of Polish soldiers only 20,000 less than that of the German Bundeswehr, it is not impossible that the political ground for this would be harder to prepare than the military one, and that is exactly what two presidents would be talking to each other about.
Ukrainisation of Poland
One thing is certain; Poland is not the UK, a “has been” military force. It is however having to face harsh realities, due to its inconvenient location, threats real or perceived, and how it has got itself caught up in a war it can’t just walk away from, which is just a stone’s throw away.
But alternative media touches on some of the fear facing Poland: for instance, one report describes how in 2022 the streets of Warsaw witnessed a protest march under the slogan ‘Stop the Ukrainisation of Poland,’ organised by the Konfederacja Korony Polskiej (Confederation of the Polish Crown), a far-right party headed by Member of Parliament Grzegorz Braun.
Those taking part unfurled banners, ‘This is Poland and not Ukropol!’, making a reference to the concept that Poland is being overtaken by Ukrainians. Posters and slogans spoke of ‘Stop replacing the ethnic structure of Poland.”
Something shadowy is going on below the surface in Poland. For instance, some recent headlines are revealing: Memories of Russian tyranny are driving Poland’s rearmament, i.e. not those of the tyranny of the Soviet Union or Imperial Russia, is a telltale sign of the Sky is Falling.
As Politico notes, Poland’s ambitions for military hegemony in Europe will not immediately translate into political strength, as the state is led by the ultra-nationalist PiS (Law and Justice Party), and thus remains a secondary force in the European Union for the time being. But Poland is part of a process of NATO rearmament which has been greatly accelerated by the war in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg describes this dynamic as “the biggest overhaul of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War”. To buttress this with political doublespeak, Polish President Andrzej Duda has [unconditionally] assured Ukraine of further support in the ‘fight against the Russian aggressor, because if Russia is not stopped, it will continue its aggressive actions”.
The venue for such remarks was almost something from a sitcom. Duda was speaking online at the Second Summit for Democracy, organised by US President Joe Biden, Ukrinform reports.
“Ukraine has never been and will never be alone in its struggle, because Ukrainians are fighting for all of us. If Russia is not stopped, it is ready to go further,” Duda stressed.
He also told how Poland has accepted more Ukrainian refugees and guest workers than any other European country, and most of these refugees have found help in private households and not refugee camps.
“Today Poland is home to over 3.5 million Ukrainians,” he said, adding that the Polish government has to date spent over USD 9 billion on humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Oxymoron for Ukraine
The honoured and special guests at this online summit included Special Guest “The Honorable” Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine. The virtual gathering also featured Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussing his vision for a just and lasting peace, alongside Foreign Ministers from a regionally diverse group of countries.
It appears however that what Poland is doing for Ukrainians may prove counterproductive. Ukraine has no real friends or (fair-weather friends) at best, as Americans don’t like losers, and will leave a high school ballgame at halftime if the home team losing or not far ahead. It is even conceivable, for conspiracy theorists, that Poland has its eyes on lost territories and is just waiting for the opportune time.
RT reports that Poland’s military assistance to Ukraine is part of a secret plan aimed at destroying the country’s statehood. The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, warned on March the 4th that “if Kiev is ultimately defeated by Moscow, Poland will be able to retake lands that it lost to the Soviet Union in the 1940s.”
The Ukrainian narrative has taken almost total control, and not only manipulated Duda but many European leaders, as too many political stakes now depend on how things turn out. However if Poland is willing to retake land from Ukraine, this would provoke German revisionists to retake West Pomerania, and a flood of other claims made simply for being on the right side of the argument, like the swathes of the Adriatic claimed by Italy in 1919, with no foundation, refusal of which was a contributory factor to the rise of European fascism.
There are much BIGGER issues globally to contend with–mostly related to economic and security fault lines in Europe and divisions within NATO itself. But globalists would rather see chaos everywhere, as this would leave their ideology being the only “solution”. We are seeing the results of this in the impact on internal political processes within European countries, with left parties gaining ground.
Even in Austria, MPs have protested openly over a televised addressed by Zelenskyy, walking out, and this only shows that Europeans are not closing ranks in support of the grand scheme of things—the American plan of taking control of key political processes and ownership of politicians.
Another thing starting to concern Poles is that Ukrainians who have migrated to Poland are being fast tracked through a process which will give them the same rights and responsibilities as Poles, and then provided with Polish passports rather quickly. This has taken many by surprise, and Poles are fearful that it could upset the cultural, language, and political balance.
Not in any other countries in Europe are refugees/migrants so quickly integrated, at least legally. There are rumours circulating about the setting up of Ukrainian minority parties which will end up in the Polish parliament, and how this could really be a game changer.
Ukropol as a Union
Ukropol began as a word used by anti-Ukrainian propaganda to describe Poland’s alleged dependence on Ukraine. The concept of Ukropol as a Union between Poland and Ukraine was discussed even at the beginning of that war, and with things going as they are in Ukraine, this may become an unintended consequence based on demographic realities, military and political outcomes.
Ukrainian nationalists want Rzeszow and some other Polish towns back, lost as a result of the so-called Vistula Action in the wake of the Ukrainian population being transplanted to West Pomerania/Yalta. At least this is the view of Max Kolonko, described as an independent Polish correspondent in New York.
Poles tell me that “this guy comes off as a bit crazy in his radicalism, writing letters to all major politicians explaining how to stop that war. He is living and working in New York: here is his resolution, again it is in Polish; he is on YouTube I guess, some stuff in English as well.”
Another Polish respondent touches on the same territory when he writes, God, how I am so bewildered by media propaganda in our nation!
I’m not talking about help; let’s take an example from the West: they keep refugees in camps and on social welfare for only three months, and then they have to work! This is the case in Germany for Ukrainians; they only support them until June “free”!
Another shared,
This is true about the gender issue, which is also part of the agenda – it is hysteria, like in the USA; in Poland we have a parade and show on the streets, but for political correctness you had better be silent otherwise they call you homophobes. The government is saying that Russia is ready to divide Ukraine, and we Poles represent naivety at its best … and we may have problems with Nazis coming from Ukraine and Maidan like incidents may be staged in Polish towns soon. And yes, there may be revision of the Polish border. The US and NATO will do nothing to help us!
Against this background, we will see what the results of Zelenskyy’s latest visit to Poland will be. As another correspondent suggested, “is this damage control or some kind of last ditch attempt by the embattled Zelenskyy to find the help that is fast-disappearing as the West reconsiders its military assistance and unconditional political commitments?”
Museum of Victory/Defeat
In the meantime, some Ukrainians are discussing establishing a museum of Victory over Russia, as one report reads, “Will a Ukrainian museum of victory over Russia be established in Sędziszów?” This looks like an opportunity to make money, like some of the stolen NGOs and Fund me sites in Ukraine. Yes, the main goal is to collect money from every possible organisation across the globe, this is their 5 minute chance”.
In Sędziszów Małopolski, it is planned to create the Museum of Victory over Despotism, which will be the first institution in Poland with a permanent exhibition of destroyed Russian military equipment, such as tanks, self-propelled guns and helicopters.
The initiator of this project is a lawyer from Kiev, Michał Strełnikov, who wants to “resist” Russian propaganda in this way. In August 2022, the Polish-Ukrainian Foundation “Museum of Victory over Despotism” was registered in Poland.
It is all starting to fit together, and adequate words cannot be found to describe what is going on between Ukraine and Poland, at least in the minds and imaginations of some Polish politicians, foreign pundits and at least one Ukrainian actor.
It should come as no surprise that Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak pledged in July that his country would have “the most powerful land forces in Europe.” It’s well on its way.
It is worth nothing that Poland already has more tanks and howitzers than Germany, and is on course to have a much larger army, with a target of 300,000 troops by 2035, compared with Germany’s current 170,000.
Who exactly are Poland’s enemies? With defence budgets everywhere under strain, Poland will expect a huge quid pro quo for ramping up its own force to suit other purposes—but whose purposes?
Will Poland provide the next proxy army for the Americans?
Henry Kamens, columnist, expert on Central Asia and Caucasus, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”