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    Published : 2026-06-30
    No. 24 (2026)

    Between Militarization and Weakness: The Polish Armed Forces and Poland’s Defence Policy in Belarusian Disinformation Narratives

    Arkadiusz Czwołek

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2273-5345

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.56583/frp.3288

    Abstract

    This article analyzes how the Polish Armed Forces and Polish defense policy are portrayed in Belarusian disinformation campaigns after 2020, particularly following the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. In these disinformation narratives, Poland is portrayed as an excessively militarized, aggressive state preparing for a confrontation with Belarus and Russia, as well as a country with a weak, untrained army incapable of effective action. The analysis examined narratives concerning the technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, increased defense spending, cooperation with the U.S. and NATO, the “Eastern Shield” program, the SAFE instrument, and the issue of nuclear deterrence. These narratives serve to justify the military policies of Belarus and Russia, shift blame for the escalation of tensions, undermine trust in the Polish Armed Forces, and deepen social and political divisions in Poland. Their aim is also to undermine the solidarity of NATO and the European Union, as well as Poland’s credibility as an ally.

    Keywords:

    Poland, Belarus, Polish Armed Forces, disinformation, narratives



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    Czwołek, A. (2026). Between Militarization and Weakness: The Polish Armed Forces and Poland’s Defence Policy in Belarusian Disinformation Narratives. Fides, Ratio Et Patria. Studia Toruńskie, (24), 29–56. https://doi.org/10.56583/frp.3288

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