Russian Disinformation Campaign Falsely Attacks Polish Aid Initiative for Ukraine

Polish government officials have exposed what they’re calling a “textbook” Russian disinformation campaign targeting a humanitarian initiative designed to help Ukrainian children.

The false narrative, which spread rapidly across social media platforms, claimed that Poland’s “Gift from the Heart” program was being used to harvest organs from Ukrainian refugee children. Officials have categorically denied these allegations, describing them as a deliberate attempt to undermine Polish-Ukrainian solidarity during the ongoing conflict.

“This is precisely how Russian disinformation works,” said Poland’s Minister of Digital Affairs in a statement on Tuesday. “They take a legitimate humanitarian program and twist it into something sinister, hoping to sow distrust between allies at a critical time.”

The “Gift from the Heart” initiative, launched shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, provides temporary homes, educational support, and psychological assistance to Ukrainian children displaced by the war. The program has helped thousands of young refugees adjust to life in Poland while maintaining connections with their Ukrainian heritage.

Security analysts point to several hallmarks of Russian information warfare in how the false story was constructed and distributed. The disinformation began on obscure websites with known connections to Russian propaganda networks before being amplified by coordinated social media accounts and eventually making its way into fringe media outlets.

“The technique is sophisticated but recognizable,” explained Dr. Marta Kowalski, a disinformation researcher at Warsaw University. “They start with a kernel of truth—that Poland does have a program helping Ukrainian children—and then inject outrageous claims that play on deep-seated fears. The organ harvesting narrative is particularly effective because it triggers powerful emotional responses that can override critical thinking.”

Polish officials have worked with major social media platforms to flag and remove the most egregious posts, but acknowledge that once such stories gain momentum, they become difficult to contain completely.

The timing of the disinformation campaign coincides with Poland’s recent announcement of additional military aid to Ukraine, including the deployment of more defensive systems to the Ukrainian border. Security experts suggest this is not coincidental.

“Russia typically escalates information operations when tangible military or diplomatic support for Ukraine increases,” noted Jan Nowak of the Eastern European Security Institute. “By attempting to damage Polish-Ukrainian relations, they hope to disrupt the flow of aid and erode public support for assistance programs.”

Ukraine’s embassy in Warsaw quickly joined Polish officials in condemning the false reports. In a joint statement, they emphasized the importance of the humanitarian corridor between the two countries and warned citizens to be vigilant against divisive narratives.

This incident highlights the growing sophistication of Russian disinformation tactics in the broader information war accompanying the physical conflict. According to EU monitoring groups, Russian-linked disinformation targeting Poland has increased by approximately 40% in the last six months, reflecting Poland’s crucial role as a logistical hub for Western support to Ukraine.

The European Union’s East StratCom Task Force, established to address Russian disinformation, has added this case to its database of documented influence operations. The organization noted that targeting humanitarian programs represents an escalation in Russia’s information warfare strategy.

Polish and Ukrainian intelligence services are cooperating to trace the origins of the campaign and identify the specific actors responsible for creating and spreading the false narrative.

“What makes this case particularly concerning is how it targets the most vulnerable—children who have already suffered tremendously from this war,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland. “Using their plight as fodder for propaganda crosses a moral line, even by the standards we’ve come to expect.”

Polish officials have urged citizens to verify information through official government channels and trusted news sources, especially when encountering emotionally charged content about the war in Ukraine or refugee assistance programs.