On Thursday, Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, accused the United States and Poland of planning to gain influence in Ukraine, a claim Warsaw denied, calling it misinformation aimed at sowing distrust among Kyiv's supporters. Naryshkin referenced unpublished intelligence, stating that the U.S. and Poland, NATO members, are planning to restore Polish control over part of western Ukraine.
In a rare statement issued by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Naryshkin said, "According to information obtained by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Washington and Warsaw are working on (implementing) plans to enforce intensified Polish military and political control over its historical properties in Ukraine." Poland rejected the allegation, labeling it as misinformation circulated by Moscow.
Stanislaw Zaryn, spokesman for Polish security agencies, noted that "lies about Poland's alleged plans to attack western Ukraine have been repeating for several years." He added, "Russian propaganda aims to create fertile ground for distrust between Ukraine and Poland and undermine cooperation between them."
Poland has ruled over some regions that are now part of Ukraine at various times in the past, most recently between the world wars. Western Ukraine, including the city of Lviv, was annexed by the Soviet Union by the end of World War II.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service stated that the U.S. is discussing with Poland a plan under which Polish "peacekeeping" forces would intervene in parts of western Ukraine without NATO authorization, where the chances of confrontation with Russian forces are minimal. The agency has not published evidence to support its claims, and Reuters has been unable to verify the accusation.
Poland is one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in its resistance to the Russian invasion, having sent weapons across the border and hosted about 3 million Ukrainian refugees. Russia has been suggesting for days that the conflict could end with a forced division of Ukraine. Moscow states that its goals in what it describes as a "special military operation" include disarming Ukraine and protecting it from fascists, while Ukraine and its western allies describe this as a baseless pretext for an unjustified invasion.
