Poland’s concern for its own security is met with mockery in many Russian media outlets, which claim that the perceived threat from Russia is imaginary and driven by Polish “Russophobia.”
One recent example is the Polish project to build the SAN anti-drone defense system along the borders with Belarus and Russia. The initiative has drawn considerable attention in Russian media. The system, with an estimated cost of approximately $2 billion, is expected to reach initial operational capability within six months and become fully operational within two years. According to Poland’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, Cezary Tomczyk, its components will include artillery, missiles, and electronic jamming systems. He discussed the project in late December 2025 in an interview with The Guardian.
This has been noticed by many Russian media outlets, as has the project to build civilian shelters on a large scale. Some media limited themselves to dry, factual reporting, while others went in the opposite direction.
In several articles, Russian commentators questioned the very rationale for building the SAN system—namely, the threat posed by Russia, attributing their own interpretations to Western journalists. For instance, Rambler.ru claimed: “Poland wants to build a network of bunkers to protect the population from the alleged ‘threat’ from Russia. This is reported by the Financial Times.”
The Financial Times, of course, did not describe the Russian threat as “alleged.” In his article “Poland Races to Build Bomb Shelters,” journalist Raphael Minder writes:
“Poland will force real estate developers to allocate space for bomb shelters in most new buildings from 2026, as the frontline state confronts the mammoth task of overhauling its lacklustre civilian defences against the threat of Russian aggression.” „Poland races to build bomb shelters”
Another outlet, ura.ru, used the Financial Times article to construct a more overtly manipulative narrative. Its headline read:
“In Poland, They Have Moved on to the Next Stage of Preparations for War with Russia.”
The full headline was even more revealing:
„В Польше перешли к следующему этапу в ходе подготовки к войне с Россией FT: Польша планирует потратить 3,8 млрд евро на строительство бомбоубежищ”
“In Poland, they have moved on to the next stage of preparations for war with Russia. FT: Poland plans to spend €3.8 billion on the construction of bomb shelters.”
By weaving the Financial Times into the headline, the outlet implied that the British newspaper endorsed the idea that Poland is preparing for war with Russia— something the FT never suggested.
However, even this manipulation pales in comparison to the rhetoric used by Moskovsky Komsomolets. The outlet published an article titled: “Falling into Russophobic hysteria, the borderland Poland rushed to build anti-drone fortifications.”
The author writes: “Russophobic Poland is preparing anti-drone fortifications worth €2 billion along its eastern border, against the backdrop of the ‘Russian threat’ inflated by Warsaw.”
Зашедшаяся в русофобской истерии лимитрофная Польша бросилась возводить антидроновые укрепления
Зашедшаяся в русофобской истерии лимитрофная Польша бросилась возводить антидроновые укрепления
The key term here is “limitrophic” (лимитрофная), a derogatory concept in Russian geopolitical discourse used to describe countries bordering Russia or the former USSR that were once part of the empire or subordinated to it. Its use reveals how such media still perceive Poland.
By ih
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