“Polish generators on OLX”: how the fake story came about and why it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny
6 February 20:45
At the end of January, posts began circulating on social media platform Twitter claiming that generators donated to Ukraine by Polish volunteers as part of the “Warmth from Poland for Kyiv” initiative had allegedly appeared for sale on the Ukrainian platform OLX. This was reported by gwaramedia , according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The posts quickly gained traction and were later picked up by Russian propaganda Telegram channels, which presented the situation as “proof” of humanitarian aid abuse.
The Polish side and the organizers of the charity initiative refuted these claims, and journalists checked the ads themselves and contacted the sellers.
Who spread the information and how
The original source was a post by Polish content creator Liliana Wiadrowska, who regularly broadcasts the narratives of the far-right Konfederacja party, known for its harsh criticism of support for Ukraine.
The post claimed that “Polish generators are now being sold on OLX,” which was presented as evidence of the alleged ingratitude of Ukrainians.
These unverified claims were picked up by pro-Russian Telegram channels, which used them to discredit Ukraine and stir up tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw.
What are these generators really?
The charity initiative “Ciepło z Polski dla Kijowa” ( Warmth from Poland for Kyiv) was launched in mid-January amid the energy crisis following Russian attacks. Funds for the generators were collected by Polish non-governmental organizations and volunteer foundations.
- On January 26, the first batch of 230 generators arrived in Kyiv;
- 130 of them were handed over to the capital, and the rest went to the regions;
- The list of equipment and its models were made public.
The Stand with Ukraine fund, which coordinates the aid, emphasized that all equipment is transferred under agreements that provide for full control over its use and prohibit resale.
Checking ads on OLX
Journalists found that there were indeed ads for the sale of generators on OLX, screenshots of which were used by the authors of the posts.
However, verification showed that
- the generator models did not match those transferred as part of the Polish initiative;
- the sellers stated that the generators were officially purchased in 2023–2024 and had been in use;
- after a wave of accusations, the authors of the ads further clarified the origin of the goods and the availability of documents.
One of the sellers directly stated that the claim about a “humanitarian generator” was a lie and that the equipment had been purchased with his own funds.
The position of the Polish side
The Stand with Ukraine Foundation publicly released a list of all generators transferred to Kyiv and emphasized that:
- in case of abuse or resale, donations may be revoked;
- no evidence of illegal sales has been found.
Polish government agencies also responded separately to the disinformation, calling these statements untrue.
Why this fake news appeared
Analysts point out that such stories fit into a typical information campaign:
- undermine trust in Ukraine as a recipient of aid;
- to cause discord between allies, in particular Ukraine and Poland;
- to support the narrative of “chaos and corruption” without any factual basis.
The presence of real advertisements for the sale of generators — without context or verification of models — became fertile ground for manipulation.
The claim that Ukrainians are selling generators donated by Polish volunteers has not been confirmed.
The ads on OLX are for other equipment purchased by private individuals, and the information being spread is fake.
