Poland refutes fake about Ukrainian schoolchildren being forbidden to speak their native language

Propagandists fabricated advertisement, falsely attributed to Polish school

Russian media outlets, Telegram channels, Polish-language bots on X and Facebook, and accounts on Polish forums are spreading a photo purportedly taken in a Polish school. The photo features a board with a supposed announcement titled "Rules of Conduct for Schoolchildren from Ukraine," which allegedly includes directives such as "Speak only Polish" and "Stop praising Stepan Bandera." The photo is claimed to have been displayed in a school in Konstantynow Lodzki.

This is a fake. Polish officials have denied the existence of such rules for Ukrainian schoolchildren. The education department in Konstantynow Lodzki clarified to Ukrinform that they are aware of the fake messages circulating on social media, claiming to show "Rules of Conduct for Ukrainians" posted on the bulletin board of local Secondary School No. 5.

"We sent a letter to the principal of the school regarding the matter. After conducting an inspection, the principal informed the city's education department that no such notice has ever appeared at the school, either currently or in the past. This information is false," said a representative from the city's education department in central Poland.

It is important to note that the fake information originated from a Polish-language account on X, which purchased a blue checkmark to appear official. Additionally, Wojciech Sinski, a member of the political committee of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party, was involved in spreading this disinformation.

This party is known for its anti-Ukrainian, anti-Semitic, and nationalist views. Since 2022, it has opposed the Polish government's policy of granting asylum to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. The party is also involved in supporting Polish farmers' blockade of the border with Ukraine, aimed at halting the import of Ukrainian grain into Poland.

Such fake claims are intended to create divisions between Polish and Ukrainian societies and foster animosity towards Ukrainian refugees.

Previously, Ukrinform debunked another false claim suggesting that Ukrainian police officers were used to disperse Polish farmers.

Andriy Olenin, Yuriy Banakhevych