IN THE NEW 2018 YEAR, WE CRITICALLY NEED A JOINT MEDIA PLATFORM!

Oleg Dubish, First Vice-President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Economic Affairs, expressed an opinion about the need for creation a joint Ukrainian-Polish media platform. It is reported by Upmp.news with the reference to the official blog of Oleg Dubish.

At the beginning of the New Year of 2018, I would like to express some thoughts about the importance of joint Ukrainian-Polish media platform (UMPM), co-creators of which I am.

I do not hide the fact that the emergence of historical claims and demands regarding the review of the “historical policy” from the side of Poland to Ukraine, after the change of power in Poland, and the seemingly perfect previous relations between the states, as well as their “cold snap”, which came after, became kind of a shock/ cold shower for me. This is despite the fact that I was born in Lviv in the Polish-Ukrainian family, and for a long time I have been working quite thoroughly on the subject of Polish-Ukrainian economic cooperation. It is a normal proces that political, humanitarian relations between the two countries have a significant impact on the degree of development of economic relations between them, but to a certain moment, I haven`t given due consideration to historical, humanitarian and other, non-economic aspects of relations between our countries. I believe there are a lot of such citizens in Ukraine. However, it happened, as it happened, and I have one vital ambush – in every, even bad situation, I try to look for a positive side. So what positive sides could be found in this case? – It was after the appearance of the provocative film of Wojtka Smarzhovskogo “Volyn”, the relevant decisions of Polish legislators regarding the well-known events in Volyn, the loud statements of politicians and representatives of Polish authorities, that’s when for the first time I was thoroughly interested in relevant historical issues and this interest went far beyond a particular historical period and events. I realized that despite the politicians’ declared strategic partnership between Poland and Ukraine, we know very little about stereotypes, complexes, fears, phobia, other aspects of social consciousness and deep inner public-political processes of each other. And if to speak about media space, despite the neighborhood, as well as the “explosion” of labor migration of Ukrainians to Poland, we live on different information (medial) planets. At the same time, the fault of the Ukrainian side in the current situation is not less, but maybe even greater than Polish. And the great blame lies on the media, who often compete in the race for sensations, scandals. They cover events one-sided or superficial and regularly focus only on the negative, without noticing the positive moments of our bilateral relations. It is obvious that historic controversies between Poland and Ukraine are manipulated by Russia, which, in a hybrid war against Ukraine, does not miss the opportunity to “add fuel to the fire” of Ukrainian-Polish disputes and conflicts. Unfortunately, it needs to be clearly stated that, among other things, as a result of an active propaganda organized by the Russian special services (both in Ukraine and in Poland), a certain complication of relations arose between our countries. The “third party” is leveraging tension in Ukrainian-Polish relations. Believes that Moscow stands behind anti-Ukrainian actions in Poland, the trampling of graves and symbolic historical monuments in Poland and Ukraine, has long circulated in the media environment and among the experts. The language issue, the problems of borderland, national minorities, the historical past, the interethnic relations between our countries, and the labor migration of Ukrainians to Poland are covered by pro-Russian propagandists in a distorted and tendentious form, both in Poland and in Ukraine. It is pro-Russian information resources in Poland (and not only) that falsely disseminates false information about anti-Polish sentiment in Ukraine. In order to advance Russia’s position in the information space, discredit the Polish / Ukrainian authorities and the relations between Poland and Ukraine, Russian intelligence services use their entire arsenal: from attracting local scholars, politicians and journalists to ordinary trolling. Let’s recall the recent deportation of Russian professor historian Dmytro Karnaukhov from Poland , who is suspected of acting against the interests of Warsaw and stirring up the Polish-Ukrainian conflict. In Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine discloses “the agent of the influence of Russian special services” and the leader of the radical public organization “Nazhdak” Mykola Dulsky, directly involved in the shelling of the Consulate General of Poland in Lutsk at the end of March this year and attempts to overpass the international route Lviv – Rava-Ruska in the Lviv region. No doubt that anti-Ukrainian actions in Poland and anti-Polish in Ukraine are part of a targeted subversive action organized by one center – the special services of the Russian Federation.

We must combat Russian informational aggression together. It is necessary to further develop the interaction of state bodies and civil society to carry out joint measures to provide information security and counter Russian propaganda machine in the interests of both countries. That is why it is important to create common information platforms among which experts and ordinary citizens of both countries could systematically exchange materials, including counteracting Russian information aggression.

UMPC is created as an independent information platform by a group of enthusiasts with the support of a “conscious” businessmen that understand the existential importance of a strategic Polish-Ukrainian partnership. The project is currently in demand among the citizens of Ukraine, Poland, the European and Asian countries, the USA and others who want to receive true, current and analytical information in various areas of our bilateral relations. In addition, foreign-language versions of the platform have begun to work. Therefore, I want to invite all those indifferent to Polish-Ukrainian cooperation, mutual acknowledge and systematic exchange of information to participate in filling the Ukrainian-Polish media platform.