Mariusz Cielma from the monthly “Nowa Technik Military” in an interview with PAP overthrew three false theorems about drones that violated the Polish airspace. Prof. Roman Baecker said that the disinformation campaign around the Drone Rally over Poland was only the apparent success of the Russians.
From Wednesday, after Russia's attack on Ukraine, during which the Polish airspace violated 19 drones, false information began to circulate in social media.
One of them, repeatedly reproduced, is based on a false assumption that Gerbera drones, which fell several hundred kilometers from the Polish-Ukrainian border, could not start from Russia, because their range is only 500 km.
One of the drones, which violated the Polish airspace from Tuesday to Wednesday, was found in the field near Mniszków in the province. Łódź. It is about 430 km from the border with Ukraine and about 250-260 km from the border with Belarus.
According to the authors inconsistent with the facts of entries, The alleged limitation of drone range would confirm the thesis that they had to be sent from western Ukraine. Some publications even indicated the exact location of their launch – around Łuck in Volhynia.
Gerberas are drones that are derived from Iranian shahads. -The Russians copied Iranian Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones (…) and produce them in several versions: Shahed-131 to Gieran-1, and Shaad-136 to Gieran-2-told PAP Major res., Dr. Eng. Michał Fiszer. “What flew to Poland was probably Gerberas, which indicates that it was a deliberate action,” Fiszer added.
As in an interview with PAP explained Mariusz Cielma, editor -in -chief of the monthly “Nowa Technik Military”, the Gerbera drone is powered by a 10 -horsepower modeling engine and has a delta shape. Thanks to this, it consumes less fuel, and the large load -bearing surface additionally supports its flight.
The expert indicated that Although the nominal range of Gerbera is actually about 600 km, after simple modifications the device can cover a much greater distance. The photos and messages of the prosecutor's office show that drones that fell in Poland did not have combat heads or reconnaissance equipment, which significantly reduced their weight and extended their range. – The head of about 5 kg used by the Russians can be replaced with additional fuel tanks, sometimes even made of sacks, so that the camera is lighter and can fly a greater distance – explained Cielma.
According to him, the drone, which fell in Mniszków in the province. Łódź, he could fly up to 900 km after equipping with additional 10 -liter tanks. “This is completely possible,” added the expert. And he reminded that Gerber also landed in Lithuania.
Another conspiracy theory to suggest that at night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Ukrainians were to try to pull Poland into the war, is based on a false claim that the wrecks of the drones were tossed. The alleged evidence is given the lack of craters or cooked soil in the places of their fall and in many cases – no serious damage to the camera, e.g. undamaged stabilizers.
In the opinion of the expert The lack of a broken soil does not indicate anything. Even weighing 200 kg, much larger than Gerbery Gierań, previously equipped with a 40-kilo head, and currently even a 100-kilogram, often ground floor like a glider and does not explode. And here we are talking about small and light, devoid of charge, gerbers. Their through speed can be less than 100 km/h. “Such an object gradually reduces the flight and sits down like a glider,” Cielma explained.
PAP interlocutor also has no doubt that another theory spread in social media is untrue. According to it, Ukraine is responsible for the appearance of drones in Poland, because Russian devices were to implement a combat mission in Ukraine, but it is allegedly as a result of the operation of Ukrainian GPS disturbing systems left the course and went to Poland.
As the expert explained, the first gerberas were intercepted in Ukraine in July 2024 and it was found that many of them, especially those used for recognition, years on telephone cards. And yet Ukraine does not interfere with mobile telephony systems.
Cielma emphasized that even assuming that drones that went to Poland used a satellite navigation system, this theory has no grounds. Ukraine would have to have strong GPS signal disturbing systems in the north of the country, which is not there – because in the event of disruption they would be registered in Belarus.
– GPS disturbing only partly affects the drone, reducing the precision of its navigation. As a result, the machine may not hit the planned goal, for example the power plant, but more often it hits the area nearby – explained the expert.
According to Ciels, To fly to Poland, the drone does not have to be equipped with satellite navigation. All you need is an inertial, remedial system that allows you to determine the direction, speed and distance. Although it is less precise than GPS, it is enough to reach Poland, and in addition it has the advantage that it cannot be disturbed.
Mariusz Cielma explained that drones in two waves were released at the night of the attack. Those that went to Poland were fired as one of the first to some extent to mask their flight over Ukraine. They bypassed Kiev and the northern circuits of Ukraine, some of the Belarus hooks towards Poland.
As he noted in an interview with PAP prof. dr hab. Roman Baecker, lecturer at the Faculty of Policy and Security Sciences of the Nicolaus Copernicus University, The campaign accompanying the drone rally on Poland in social media only seemingly the success of the Russians. A large part of the content published there was created by Russian trolls, often appearing under the west -sounding names. -Publicists joined this, most often associated with the circle of Grzegorz Braun, and there were politicians such as Janusz Korwin-Mikke-the expert pointed out.
In his opinion, the success of the Russians in the information sphere was only partial because has been leveled by the fast and firm reaction of government institutions and – which is usually not seen – the violent and emotional response of Internet users, who mostly criticized this kind of narrative. After the night violation of the Polish airspace by Russian drones from Tuesday to Wednesday, the European analytical collective Res Futura analyzed the reactions of the users of the most popular social platforms to this event.
This issue was achieved by a rare range – as much as 173 million publications on social media. Most users, 41 percent, have been responsible for the attack.
34 percent Users believed that in this way Russia was testing Polish defense, observes the reactions of other NATO members and gradually escalated the conflict. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the conference assessed that the North Atlantic Alliance together with individual allies very effectively reacted to the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones. “We are able to defend every centimeter of NATO territory, including airspace,” Rutte emphasized.
24 percent Users believed that the violation of Polish airspace through drones was the result of the deliberate action of Ukraine or the abandonment of its anti -aircraft defense. In both cases, this would allegedly serve Poland and NATO in the war. Minister of digitization Krzysztof Gawkowski referred to these allegations on Wednesday during a press conference. He noted that Poland is the purpose of hybrid activities in the area of misinformation, and one of the main narratives reproduced by Russian sources is to attempt to transfer responsibility for violation of Polish airspace to the Ukrainian side. – Ukraine does not draw Poland into the war. Those who say differently lie. It is Russia who is responsible for this attack – emphasized Gawkowski.
13 percent Internet users criticized the government, accusing him of lack of effectiveness, delayed reaction, lack of RCB alerts and non -trial citizens. Insufficient preparation of antimiconic defense was also pointed out, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The image of the government in the comments was shaped mainly by accusations of omissions, late actions and apparent reactions.
One of the main charges was No RCB alerts. The Government Security Center in issued a message for residents of the Lublin, Podkarpackie and Podlasie provinces on Wednesday at 7. It was: “Note! In connection with the operation of neutralizing objects that violated the border of the Republic of Poland, inform the services of drones or places of their fall. Keep calm.” After 8 Alert was extended to the Masovian, Łódź, Świętokrzyskie and Lesser Poland voivodships.
Another criticism concerned insufficient developing anti -done. Two days before the invasion of Russian drones to Poland, Cdr. Lieutenant Maksymilian Dura, an expert of the Defense24 portal, reminded in a conversation with PAP that in 2023 Poland purchased four Skyctrl sets – systems intended mainly for the protection of facilities, such as airports, from small microdrons. He noted, however, that the number of such systems in Poland is far too small.
The last allegation of Internet users concerned the use of allegedly inadequately expensive means to neutralize cheap threats. The symbol of this criticism became the use of the F-16 to shoot down drones worth only a few thousand zlotys. General Wiesław Kukuła, chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, referred to these accusations on Wednesday. He emphasized that “this is not completely our value system.” – The price of the rocket does not matter, but the value of what the drone can destroy. If the life of a Pole is at risk, then it has no price. We will use even a hundred times more expensive rocket, if we save the life of at least one person – noted the general. (PAP)
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