Wojciech Kotowicz, a political scientist at the University of Warmia and Mazury in the northeastern city of Olsztyn, said Russia treats information “as a weapon with strategic range,” developed for an era in which Moscow recognizes NATO’s military and economic advantage.
Kotowicz said countries should expect Russia’s disinformation to intensify and evolve, using increasingly advanced technologies and adapting as defenses improve.
'New Cold War'
He described a “new Cold War” that plays out less through tanks and aircraft, and more through narratives, social media and influence networks designed to shape how people understand reality.
“Today’s conflict between Russia and the West is taking place primarily in the informational and cognitive space,” Kotowicz said, arguing that modern hybrid warfare relies on disinformation and manipulation to reach strategic goals.
“This is a war that does not require tanks or airplanes. To achieve strategic aims, a smartphone, a social media account and a well-constructed narrative are enough," he added.
Russian disinformation in Moldova, Georgia
Poland’s own information security is tied to the stability of its eastern partners, Kotowicz said, warning that successful Russian campaigns in countries such as Moldova could quickly be redirected toward Poland.
“Warsaw’s information security is a system of connected vessels with the stability of our eastern partners,” he said. “If we allow disinformation to triumph in Moldova, Poland will become the next, direct target of even more aggressive information campaigns.”
His comments follow a research project carried out last year by the university’s Institute of Political Science, within the Faculty of Social Sciences, examining how Russian disinformation shapes public opinion in Eastern Europe and how governments and civil society can respond.
The project focused on Moldova and Georgia and sought to develop strategies to counter these threats.
Kotowicz said researchers saw the impact of Russian operations directly during fieldwork in 2025, including rapid shifts in political attitudes within local communities.
He recalled interviews in Chișinău, Moldova's capital, in which journalists described older voters, long supportive of European integration, suddenly embracing claims that the European Union wanted to destroy "traditional values" and seize land.
He said this change did not happen by accident but followed a coordinated campaign pushed through social media, Russian-language television and influencers who presented themselves as independent commentators while operating within networks financed from Moscow.
Kotowicz argued that the goal is to erode trust in democratic institutions so that countries turn away from the West without Russia needing to occupy territory.
“The battlefield becomes our perception of reality, our beliefs, our trust in democratic institutions,” he said, adding that Russia can achieve strategic outcomes if citizens lose faith in democracy and Western alliances.
He pointed to Moldova’s referendum campaign on European integration as a moment when Russian influence was especially visible.
Although the pro-European side won, he said it did so by a narrow margin after what he described as an unprecedented wave of disinformation and vote-buying.
He said experts consulted during the research believed support would have been significantly higher without Russian interference.
New wave of Russian propaganda
Kotowicz also warned that social media platforms have become a powerful amplifier for manipulation because their algorithms reward emotional and divisive content that drives engagement.
He named Facebook, X and TikTok as examples, arguing that Russia understands how these systems work and exploits them.
He said a new wave of Russian messaging is already spreading in 2026 around Europe’s energy pressures, promoting claims that sanctions hurt Europe more than Russia and that European leaders are deliberately impoverishing their own societies.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl