Poland banned the entry of a Russian propagandist who worked against the EU

Poland bans entry into the country to journalists who are waging the Kremlin’s information war against Poland and the European Union.

At the request of the head of the Internal Security Service of Poland, Krzysztof Vaclavek, the Russian citizen Viktor Bezek, whose activities are part of the Kremlin’s information war against Poland and the European Union, was added to the list of foreigners who do not want to be seen on the territory of Poland.

This was reported by the press service of the National Security Department of the Polish government.

According to the department, for many years Bezek has been involved in spreading Russian propaganda directed against Poland’s national interests and the image of the republic on the international stage. He is associated with RT television and the Polish-language editorial office of the Sputnik news agency.

“The above-mentioned “media” are typically disinformation structures that form the basis of the Kremlin, support its foreign policy, and spread a false perception of reality among citizens of other countries,” the press service emphasized.

Russian journalists are a group used for the Kremlin’s aggressive information activities against Poland, NATO countries, and the West

This is not the first time that the Polish authorities have used the tool of banning a Russian “journalist” from entering the country. In March 2021, at the request of the Internal Security Agency, the ban on entry to Poland and Schengen zone countries for Leonid Svyridov, who is involved in spreading Kremlin propaganda, was extended until 2025.

In the same year, a similar decision was made against Yevgeny Reshetnev, a Russian TV reporter who carried out activities harmful to the Republic of Poland, which went beyond the scope of journalistic work. Reshetnev’s activities corresponded to the tasks of structures that conduct information warfare in Russia.

Russian “journalists” working in Poland are a group that the Kremlin uses for aggressive information activities against Poland, NATO countries, and the West. Poland remains one of the main goals of this activity,” the Department of National Security emphasized.

In September 2022, Poland, in agreement with the Baltic states, tightened the rules for the entry of Russian citizens into its territory. The adopted decisions are a restriction on other than necessary trips to Poland by citizens of the Russian Federation.

“Russian journalists working in Poland are a group used for the Kremlin’s aggressive information activities against Poland, NATO countries, and the West. Poland remains one of the main targets of this activity,” Poland emphasized.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, the EU stopped broadcasting the propagandist Russian media outlets Sputnik and RT on its territory. As noted in the statement of the Council of the EU, the ban will be in effect until the end of the war and until Russia and its associated media “stop disinformation and information manipulation.”

The EU noted that Sputnik and RT are under the constant control of the Russian authorities and “play an important role in the promotion and support of military aggression against Ukraine and the destabilization of neighboring countries.”