Relations between Russia and Poland: history, modern politics, trade and economy

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Relations between Russia and Poland have a long history. These are two neighboring states that fought more than once throughout history, entered into peaceful alliances, for some time even some Russian regions were part of Poland, and then Poland itself ended up entirely within the borders of the Russian Empire. In this article, we will consider the interstate relations of the countries themselves and their historical predecessors.

In the times of Ancient Russia

Relations between Russia and Poland have more than a thousand years of history. One of the earliest events related to the relationship between these two states is the conquest by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of the Eastern Slavic Cherven cities from the Poles in 981.

Shortly after that, Russia adopted Christianity, which marked the dominance of Orthodoxy in the state. Shortly before this (in 966) Poland became Catholic.

Those centuries werecaused by long and bloody internecine wars. More than once, the Russian princes turned to the Polish rulers for help. One of the first precedents in 1018 was created by Svyatopolk the Accursed, who fled from Kyiv to Boleslav I the Brave. The Polish king defeated Yaroslav the Wise in the battle on the Bug River, even managed to take Kyiv, but decided not to transfer power to Svyatopolk, as was originally agreed, but to rule himself. In response to this, the people of Kiev raised an uprising. Boleslav fled with the treasury and the captive sisters of Yaroslav. The Cherven cities were again under the rule of Poland, which they managed to return only by 1031.

An almost identical situation arose in 1069, when Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich fled to Poland to Boleslav II the Bold. He also intervened in the dynastic dispute, going on a campaign against Kyiv.

It is worth noting that in relations between Poland and Russia there were quite long periods of peaceful coexistence and joint military alliances. For example, in 1042 the Polish king Casimir I entered into an alliance with Yaroslav the Wise, in 1074 Boleslav II concluded a peace agreement with Vladimir Monomakh. Kyiv Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich married his daughter to Boleslav III. At that time, the Russian troops came to the aid of the king, when brother Zbigniew opposed him.

Like Russia, Poland suffered from the Mongol invasion. However, it was not possible to establish a yoke on the territory of this country, which allowed it to develop more successfully in terms of culture, trade, and social relations.

Russian-Lithuanian wars

In the XIV century, a significant partRussia was under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which acted as a counterweight to the Golden Horde. Moreover, close relations developed between Poland and Lithuania, the Lithuanians more than once resorted to the help of the Poles in the confrontation with the Moscow principality for the collection of Russian lands. This predetermined Russia's relations with Poland in the post-Mongolian period.

Since the Russian-Lithuanian war of 1512-1522, this confrontation has not been without the participation of the Poles. At the height of the Livonian War of 1569, relations between Russia and Poland escalated due to the conclusion of the Union of Lublin, as a result of which the Commonwe alth was formed. All the lands of modern Ukraine passed to the Poles. The united state managed to turn the tide of the military confrontation, forcing the Russian kingdom to defend itself on several fronts. The Treaty of Yam-Zapolsky established the borders that existed before the start of the Livonian War.

Times of Troubles

One of the most famous pages in the history of relations between Russia and Poland is connected with the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1605, with the support of Polish mercenaries, False Dmitry I, who had previously converted to Catholicism, ascended the throne, promising to transfer part of the Russian lands to the Commonwe alth. He was killed in a coup.

However, False Dmitry II soon appeared, who was also under the influence of the Poles. To overthrow this impostor, Russia had to make peace with Sweden by making territorial concessions. A tense stage has come in the history of relations between Russia and Poland. In response to this alliance, the Commonwe alth besiegedSmolensk, officially entering the war. In 1610, the Russian-Swedish army was defeated at Klushino, after which the Poles occupied Moscow. The established Seven Boyars offered to ascend the throne to Prince Vladislav.

At this time, two militias opposed the Polish occupation. The second turned out to be successful. The army led by Minin and Pozharsky forced the Polish garrison in the Kremlin to capitulate.

The subsequent attempts of the Poles to win back were not successful, they could no longer interfere with the reigning Romanov dynasty.

Smolensk War

In Poland's policy towards Russia, the border principality of Smolensk has always played an important role. In 1632, Russia, wanting to return it, laid siege to the city. However, at that time it was one of the strongest fortresses in Eastern Europe, so it was not possible to take it.

In 1654, new hostilities began. The Zemsky Sobor decided to support Bogdan Khmelnitsky in the national liberation war. In two years, the Russian-Cossack army established control over most of the Commonwe alth, reaching the ethnic Polish lands. Sweden took advantage of the moment to invade Poland, so the parties had to make peace in order to prevent a significant strengthening of the Scandinavians.

Hostilities in relations between Russia and Poland resumed in 1658. This time, success was on the side of the Poles, who ousted the Russian troops from the Right-Bank Ukraine and Lithuania. But then the Poles began to yield, and the Andrusovo truce was signed as a result. According to himLeft-bank Ukraine, Smolensk and Kyiv went to Russia, and the Zaporizhzhya Sich was under the protectorate of two states. After the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" in 1686, Kyiv became a part of Russia.

Partition of Poland

Shortly after that, the policy towards Russia and Poland began to be characterized by a shift in potential in favor of Russia. Under Peter I, the country was strengthened and renewed, while the Commonwe alth, on the contrary, was in decline.

In the War of the Polish Succession, our country already acted as an external force that had a strong influence on domestic politics. These are the relations between Russia and Poland that developed during that period. The decisive Russian influence in Poland was during the reign of Catherine II. At the Repninsky Sejm, Catholics and Orthodox were equalized in rights, Russia was recognized as the guarantor of the Polish constitution, which in fact turned it into a protectorate of the empire.

The Bar Confederation, dissatisfied with this state of affairs, came out against the pro-Russian King Stanislav. It was defeated, and part of the territory of the Commonwe alth was divided among themselves by Russia, Austria and Prussia.

Inspired by the French Revolution, the Poles launched an anti-Russian uprising led by Kosciuszko. But this only led to the second and third divisions of the Commonwe alth.

Within the Russian Empire

Many Poles hoped that Napoleon would help restore Poland's independence. He created the Duchy of Warsaw, which took part in the campaign against Russia. After the defeat of the aggressorRussia's foreign policy towards Poland was unfriendly. By decision of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, most of the duchy went to Russia. The autonomous Kingdom of Poland was formed.

A completely liberal constitution was established there, the local aristocracy was admitted to the highest government posts, but the patriots still did not leave hope for the restoration of statehood.

Open uprising began in 1830 under the influence of the July Revolution in France. Russian troops suppressed it, after which Field Marshal Paskevich became the governor of the Kingdom of Poland. He instituted a strict regime that lasted until his death in 1856.

From the 60s of the XIX century, new unrest began, which ended with the January Uprising of 1863. It was suppressed again, and then a targeted Russification of Polish lands began.

Rebirth of Independence

During the First World War, Russian troops were ousted by the German army in 1915 from the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. For three years it was under the occupation of the aggressor.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which was already concluded by Soviet Russia, the refusal of Polish lands was formalized. The Treaty of Versailles approved the formation of a new Polish state, headed by Jozef Pilsudski. His plans were to dismember Russia, creating a large Eastern European confederation under the auspices of Poland.

This intention met the plans of the Bolsheviks to spread communist ideas to Western Europe. The first on this path wasPoland. In 1919, after armed clashes in Belarus, the parties entered into a full-scale confrontation. At the first stage, the Polish army occupied Kyiv, but during the counteroffensive of the Red Army in 1920, the Poles had to not only yield, but also defend Warsaw. Only after the successful defense of its capital, Poland made peace with Soviet Russia, according to which the latter ceded the territories of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine.

At that time, tens of thousands of prisoners of war were in Polish captivity, many of whom died due to harsh conditions in the camps. Relations between Russia and Poland are still tense due to the unresolved question of whether the maintenance of conditions that led to high mortality was deliberate.

World War II

In the post-war period, Poland actively got rid of everything that reminded of its being part of the Russian Empire, while remaining equidistant from Germany and the USSR.

In 1932, as a result of negotiations, a non-aggression pact was concluded with the USSR, two years later a similar agreement was signed with Germany.

In 1938, Poland took part in the division of Czechoslovakia, when, at the height of the Sudeten crisis, they demanded the return of the Teszyn region to them.

On September 1, 1939, Poland itself was under attack. German troops entered its territory. Thus began the Second World War. Already on September 17, the Soviet government sent troops to the lands of Western Belarus, Western Ukraine, and part of the Vilna Voivodeship. Laterit turned out that the accession of these lands to the USSR was formalized by a secret addition to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. By order of the Politburo 21, 5 thousand Polish officers were shot. The places of their execution were collectively called the Katyn massacre. In modern relations between Russia and Poland, this topic remains one of the most painful, despite its condemnation and recognition by the Russian state.

In 1944, the Home Army, led by the Polish government in exile, organized the Warsaw Uprising, trying to liberate the country on their own, preventing the strengthening of Soviet influence. The Germans suppressed it with particular cruelty, killing several hundred thousand civilians. At present, the question of the extent to which assistance to the rebels from the Red Army was possible is being actively discussed.

In the subsequent counteroffensive against the Germans, the liberation of Poland and the capture of Berlin, the Polish Army, which united with the People's Army, took part.

Post-war period

After the end of the Second World War, the Polish People's Republic was formed, which preached socialism, became an important participant in the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet Union initiated the transfer of territories in the west that previously belonged to Germany to its neighbor. In particular, the southern part of East Prussia, Silesia, Pomerania. The Germans were expelled, and the lands were settled by ethnic Poles, as well as the East Slavic population deported from the southeastern regions as part of the Vistula operation. So there was a shift of its territory to the west, the expansion of ethnic lands.

Socialism in Poland is characterized by population growth and industry. In parallel, a one-party dictatorship is established in political life, and repressions against the opposition begin. As a gift from the Soviet people, the Palace of Science and Culture is being built in Warsaw, which to this day remains the most prominent and tallest building in Poland. An active cultural exchange between states begins, organized at the party level. For example, Soviet performers regularly perform at the International Festival in Sopot, Polish actress Barbara Brylska plays a major role in the cult Soviet New Year's comedy The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! In Poland, the work of Bulat Okudzhava, Vladimir Vysotsky was very popular, but only at an unofficial level.

In the meantime, Soviet troops were stationed on the territory of Poland itself, the status of which was determined by an agreement between the two countries, concluded in December 1956. Formally, he forbade the intervention of the Soviet contingent in any internal affairs of Poland, and strictly established its number. His places of deployment were recorded, it was established that military personnel and members of their families are required to comply with Polish law.

In 1968, Poland assisted the USSR in suppressing the Czechoslovak uprising. At the same time, some Poles had an extremely negative attitude towards the Soviet order, which led to systematic attacks on the diplomatic missions of the Soviet Union. In December 1956, during the riots in Szczecin, the windows in the Soviet consulate were broken. Three years later, a mine was blown up on the wayKhrushchev's cortege, who was on a visit to the Polish People's Republic. No one was hurt.

In 1980, mass strikes began at the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk, which were proclaimed by the Solidarity trade union and Lech Walesa. They were directed against the socialist regime. The uprising was suppressed only after the introduction of martial law by Wojciech Jaruzelski. In modern Poland, these events are considered as the beginning of the fall of the entire socialist bloc. Today, in relations between Poland and Russia, the question of what was the influence of the Soviet government on Jaruzelski when he introduced martial law in the country is still debatable.

The socialist system was finally overthrown in 1989. After the abolition of Poland, the official proclamation of the Third Rzeczpospolita took place.

Current situation

Currently, the length of the Russian-Polish border is 232 kilometers. A new stage in relations began in October 1990, when the Declaration on Good Neighborly Cooperation and Friendship was signed. A year later, the withdrawal of the Northern Group of Forces from the territory of Poland began, which was completed by October 1993.

After the collapse of the socialist bloc, difficult relationships developed between the states, today relations between Poland and Russia remain tense. From the very beginning, Poland began to strive for Euro-Atlantic structures, to cooperate with America. In relations with Russia, questions about the heavy historical legacy are regularly raised. The politics of memory often come to the fore ininternational relations between Russia and Poland.

The Russian Federation negatively perceived the neighbor's support for the color revolutions in the territory of the post-Soviet republics. In the 2000s, trade and economic relations between Russia and Poland became complicated due to a number of trade disputes, as well as plans by the Poles to allow the Americans to deploy a missile defense facility on their territory. The Russian Federation regards this as a threat to its own security.

The states drew closer together after the plane crash near Smolensk, which killed the Polish head of state Lech Kaczynski with a number of high-ranking officials and military figures. At the same time, conspiratorial anti-Russian theories emerged among conservative Poles based on the involvement of a neighbor in a plane crash.

Internationally publicized conflicts pop up all the time. In 2012, during the European Football Championship, which was held in Poland, Russian fans organized a "Russian March" in Warsaw, sanctioned by local authorities. At the same time, they were subjected to a massive attack by Polish football hooligans.

In August 2012, the first official visit of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church took place in the history of relations between the two states. Kirill visited Poland and signed the Message of the people of Russia and Poland, calling both nations for reconciliation.

In 2013, the Russian embassy in Warsaw was attacked by members of a nationalist march during the Independence March. The building was pelted with bottles and flares.

In 2014 trade deterioratedeconomic relations between Russia and Poland due to the introduction of counter-sanctions by the Russian Federation against the EU countries. As part of the food embargo, the import of a large list of goods into the territory of our country was prohibited. Russia's sanctions against Poland affected local farmers, milk and meat producers, for whom the Russian border regions were previously points of mass marketing of their own products. Currently, the situation remains unchanged, the regime of counter-sanctions is regularly extended in response to increased sanctions from the West due to Russian policy in Crimea and Ukraine. Poland actively supports them.

Giving today a description of the trade and economic relations between Russia and Poland, it should be noted that in recent years the trade turnover between the two countries has significantly decreased. Currently, Russian exports to Poland are 80% energy products, Polish exports to the Russian Federation are based on mechanical engineering and chemical products. Uneasy relations between Russia and Poland today.

Political relations worsened in 2017 after the law on decommunization came into force. After that, Poland became the leader in the desecration of Soviet monuments. The situation is aggravated due to the demolition of monuments to soldiers of the Red Army who died in battle during the liberation of the neighboring republic from Nazism. In Russian society, this causes an unambiguously negative reaction. Poland seeks to eradicate everything that connected it with the Soviet past.