Poland’s leadership playing ‘external threat’ card ahead of elections: Russian parliament head

ISTANBUL

Russia’s top lawmaker on Wednesday said that Poland’s leadership is playing the “card of an external threat” to "save its rating" amid parliamentary elections due to be held in the country in October.

“The pro-American policy pursued by President (Andrzej) Duda had a negative impact on the ratings of the party in power, Law and Justice. According to the latest poll, only 33% of Poles are ready to vote for it. Next comes the ‘Civic Coalition’ of Donald Tusk - 32%. The gap is minimal,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of the Russian State Duma, said on Telegram.

Volodin said that Poland’s policy toward Ukraine does not contribute to the popularity of the party, further claiming that voters do not understand why Poland supports Ukraine “which promotes the ideology of Bandera.”

“To save its rating, the leadership of Poland is playing the card of an external threat. Despite the fact that such a threat does not exist, about 10,000 Polish soldiers were pulled to the borders of Belarus,” Volodin further said.

Tensions between Belarus, a Russian ally, and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have risen in recent weeks, particularly because of the presence of the Wagner paramilitary group, which found refuge in Belarus after its short-lived mutiny against Moscow in June.

Poland’s accusations against Belarus of an airspace violation further ignited tensions in the border, with Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz on public radio calling the move a provocation.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry, however, denied the claims, saying that Warsaw's accusations are “far-fetched” and were made to “justify the build-up of its forces and means near the Belarusian border."