Russia, realizing NATO's military and economic advantage, has developed sophisticated hybrid warfare strategies, including disinformation and manipulation – told PAP Dr. Hab. Wojciech Kotowicz from UWM in Olsztyn. The conflict between Russia and the West takes place in the information and cognitive space, he added.
An expert from the Institute of Political Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Warmia and Mazury believes that information in contemporary Russian doctrine “is treated as a strategic weapon.”
Warsaw's information security is a system of vessels connected to the stability of our eastern partners. If we allow disinformation to triumph in Moldova, Poland will become another direct target of even more aggressive information campaigns – said the expert in a comment for PAP.
Last year, researchers from the Institute of Political Sciences of the University of Warsaw implemented a project titled: “The impact of Russian disinformation on shaping public opinion in Eastern European countries – analysis and counteraction strategies.” The aim was to examine the mechanisms of Russian disinformation as a hybrid tool in Moldova and Georgia and to develop specific strategies to counteract these threats.
Systematic destruction of trust in democracy
According to Wojciech Kotowicz, we are currently dealing with “new cold warwhich takes place not only in the air, but also in our minds and on the Internet.”
– When we talk about a new Cold War, I mean a fundamental change in the nature of contemporary geopolitical conflicts. Unlike the classic Cold War of the 20th century, which focused on the arms race, ideological competition and confrontation in physical space, today's conflict between Russia and the West takes place primarily in the information and cognitive space – explained the expert.
As he said, Russia – aware of NATO's military and economic advantage – has developed sophisticated hybrid warfare strategies in which disinformation and information manipulation are important tools. It's a war that doesn't require tanks or planes. To achieve strategic goals, all you need is a smartphone, a social media account and a well-constructed narrative. During our research in Moldova and Georgia in 2025, we observed this phenomenon in practice, the researcher described.
Emotionalization of the message, or how to use fear
In Chisinau, he reported, during an interview with a local journalist, researchers heard a story about how Russian disinformation literally changed the political views of entire communities in just a few months.
– Older people who had supported European integration for years suddenly began to believe that the European Union wanted to destroy their traditional values and take away their land. This was not a coincidence, it was the result of a systematic, months-long campaign on social media, on Russian-language television and through influencers who presented themselves as independent commentators, but in fact were part of a coordinated network financed from Moscow, he described.
– The war in our minds means that our perception of reality becomes the battlefieldour beliefs, our trust in democratic institutions. Russia does not have to physically conquer Eastern European countries if it can make their citizens turn away from the West and democracy, he pointed out.
The influence of Russian disinformation – as he reported – was particularly visible during the referendum campaign on European integration in Moldova.
– Although the referendum ultimately resulted in a victory for the pro-European option, it was a minimal victory, achieved in the face of an unprecedented campaign of disinformation and vote buying. The experts we talked to estimated that without Russian interference, support for European integration would be much higher, the researcher said.
Virality of algorithms
Online warfare also involves using digital infrastructure as a battlefield. – Social media, which were supposed to be a tool for democratization and freedom of speech, have become a weapon in the hands of authoritarian regimes. The algorithms of platforms such as Facebook, X and TikTok, designed to maximize user engagement, unconsciously promote the spread of disinformation, because controversial and emotional content generates more interactions than reliable information – described Dr. Hab. Kotowicz.
In his opinion, Russia understands this perfectly and takes advantage of it. – This is confirmed by the fact that in 2026 we are also observing a new wave of Russian disinformation related to the energy crisis in Europe, where coordinated campaigns on social media suggest that sanctions against Russia are harming Europe more than Russia and that European leaders are deliberately impoverishing their own societies. These narratives, although easy to refute with facts, spread virally, reaching millions of users, he noted.
In his opinion, we should be ready for Russian disinformation to intensify and evolve, using increasingly advanced technologies and adapting to our defense mechanisms.
Anna Mikołajczyk-Kłębek (PAP)
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