Russia is trying to achieve information supremacy by influencing social processes, discussions and information systems. This follows from the conclusions of the investigative report of the Polish government committee, which investigated Russia’s influence on Poland’s internal security. According to the committee, Warsaw does not manage to defend against these activities of Moscow, TASR informs according to a report by the PAP agency.
The report, released Friday, was prepared by the committee’s disinformation team. The authors primarily examined the period after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland in 2020, since, according to them, disinformation activities intensified during this period.
Russian techniques
The conclusions state that Russia uses a variety of methods, including diplomacy, propaganda, and disinformation, in its quest to gain information superiority in international relations. In addition, it also conducts psychological campaigns, infiltrates computer networks and databases, and exploits attacks by hacking groups such as Ghostwriter, also known as UNC1151.
According to the report of the Polish committee, the aim of this effort by Moscow is to destabilize the political situation in the countries of Central Europe. According to some estimates, Russia spends up to four billion dollars a year on disinformation and propaganda, the authors said.
One of the key findings is that Warsaw’s measures to counter such threats from Russia and Belarus in recent years have been “inadequate, temporary, inconsistent and often superficial”.
A systematic approach is lacking
Among other things, the committee points to the lack of a long-term, coordinated and systematic approach – either by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by a representative appointed by the government, who limited himself to only general recommendations.
“The most significant act that actively undermined the defense of Poland and NATO in the cognitive war was the dismantling – even through physical intervention – of the NATO counterintelligence expert center that was being built in Warsaw,” the committee noted. According to the PAP, this center was supposed to face Russia’s information war.
The report further recommends that public authorities cooperate with the media, especially during crises, in an effort to prevent the creation of an information vacuum, i.e. a situation where important information is missing, which may raise doubts among the population.
The authorities should also allow the media access to direct witnesses of the events and uncensored visual materials. The committee suggested that government bodies could also publish disinformation reports.
“Above all, a strategy to combat disinformation is needed, which would include contributions from the professional, journalistic and non-governmental community. This requires an increase in public resources dedicated to this goal,” the authors emphasized.
