If you didn’t know, apparently it’s Poland that should be blamed for the outbreak of World War II. Why? The title of this article may offer a hint.
We know perfectly well that Russian media disinform, lie, and manipulate— and we are not particularly shocked by it, although perhaps we should be. After all, “A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth.” This phrase is commonly, though incorrectly, attributed to Goebbels although its real author was most likely Lenin.
In any case, it is difficult to surprise anyone familiar with Russian propaganda with yet another lie about Poland. And yet, sometimes it happens. It happened when I stumbled upon a text by Vasily Stoyakin, director of the Moscow Center for Political Marketing and former adviser to pro-Russian (in fact, Russian) politicians in Ukraine.
He recently wrote an article titled “Игры лимитрофов” (Games of Limotrophic States), devoted in part to Poland. As he explains, the text concerns “the exceptional role that third-rate countries play in contemporary global politics”—the so-called limotrophs.
In Russian propaganda, limotrophs is a derogatory label for Central and Eastern European states, depicted as “weak borderlands,” “buffers,” or “troublemakers” supposedly dragging great powers into conflicts. The term has a long imperial pedigree and is used to deny countries such as Poland, Ukraine, or the Baltic states their sovereignty.
Stoyakin argues that “both world wars began because of the irresponsible policies of limotrophic states, into whose quarrels the great powers were drawn.” In the case of World War I, it was Serbia; in the case of World War II… Poland.
“In the case of World War II, the provocateur was Poland, which had to put in considerable effort to become a victim of Nazi aggression,” writes the Russian expert.
But that is just the warm-up. According to Stoyakin, “In the 1920s, the aggressor was Poland itself, tearing away pieces of territory from all of its neighbours — including Germany.”
He continues: “Later, Poland enjoyed excellent relations with the Hitler regime,” ultimately arriving at his remarkable conclusion: “Immediately before the outbreak of war, incited by Great Britain and certain of Allied support, Poland behaved arrogantly and blocked any compromise with its former partner. Meanwhile, Hitler did not demand anything impossible from Poland.”
At the time, France and Great Britain offered Poland security guarantees and subsequently declared war on Germany. “They clearly hoped that Hitler would be frightened and halt his aggression. He was neither frightened nor halted. Instead, France and Great Britain were dragged into the conflict,” Stoyakin explains. He concludes: “The trend is obvious: in times of international tension, when everyone should keep a cool head, great powers fall victim to the hysterical and thoughtless actions of limotrophs.”
Was I shocked by these historical lies about Poland? Not at all. Such claims are standard in Russian propaganda.
What surprised me was the boldness with which Stoyakin articulated his theses. It is easy to see that he it is not about history at all, but about history lessons for the present.
And if that is the case, whichever way you look at it, Vasily Stoyakin has cast Vladimir Putin in the role of Hitler from 1939—only now in 2025.
Igor Hrywna
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