A Disinformation Campaign Targets Polish-Czech Relations
teisipäev, 1. september 2026 13:47
In recent days, Polish and Czech media have reported on a disinformation campaign aimed at stirring up tensions between the two countries. Online materials falsely suggested that Poland was preparing to demand that the Czech Republic hand over part of its territory. The story was fabricated, but it drew on a real, if marginal, unresolved border issue, Łukasz Wojdyga, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies Warsaw Enterprise Institute reported.
That issue dates back to 1958, when Poland and then-Czechoslovakia adjusted their common border. Poland transferred 1,206 hectares to its neighbor and received 837 hectares in return, leaving a difference of 368 hectares that has never been fully settled. For decades, however, this has been treated as a technical and diplomatic matter rather than a serious territorial dispute between Warsaw and Prague, Wojdyga said.
The campaign tried to turn that obscure issue into something far more explosive. After the website of the Polish regional broadcaster Radio PiK was hacked, a fabricated article alleging Polish territorial claims appeared online. A fake website imitating Czech public radio was also created, along with a social media profile impersonating Czech Ambassador to Poland. A forged document posted there claimed that Warsaw was demanding more than 600 hectares of Czech territory. Another account posed as a Polish deputy foreign minister. The campaign also brought in a much more sensitive historical subject: the Zaolzie region, which was at the center of Polish-Czechoslovak disputes in the 20th century. Fake accounts promoted, among other things, a supposed protest in the Czech Třinec against the “Polonization” of the Czech part of the region. A largely forgotten administrative issue was thus linked to a much more emotionally charged chapter in Polish-Czech history.
Poland and Czechia are an obvious pair to target. Both are NATO members, both have strongly supported Ukraine, and political and security cooperation between Warsaw and Prague has deepened in recent years. At the same time, their shared history offers enough material that can be taken out of context and used to fuel distrust. Influence operations rarely need to invent divisions from scratch. Reviving old ones can be enough. Poland’s NASK disinformation analysis center said that the methods used in the campaign resembled tactics previously associated with Russian operations. Similar assessments have been made in Czechia. So far, however, there is no public evidence that would allow the operation to be conclusively attributed to a specific Russian intelligence service or group.
The response from both sides of the border was swift. Polish and Czech officials rejected the claims and made clear that relations between Warsaw and Prague remained strong. The story also failed to gain much traction in the mainstream media, where it was largely presented as an attempt to create a conflict rather than evidence of a real one.
The case shows how little is sometimes needed to build an effective disinformation narrative. A real but little-known issue, a historical grievance, forged documents, and fake profiles of public officials can be enough to create the impression that a conflict is emerging. This time, the effort appears to have failed. Instead of producing a serious Polish-Czech dispute, it prompted public expressions of solidarity. But the episode is still a useful reminder that even close relations between neighboring countries can become a target when there is enough history to work with.
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