Special cognitive operation
How Russia radicalizes Poland and fractures Europe
Poland's information space has come under a massive hybrid attack. The Russian Federation has launched an unprecedentedly large-scale anti-Ukrainian campaign, the strategic goal of which goes far beyond the bilateral relations between Kyiv and Warsaw. By using sensitive historical issues as a trigger for public unrest, the Kremlin is attempting to radicalize the Polish population, artificially alter the domestic political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, and trigger a chain reaction that will lead to the weakening of pan-European unity.
The figures and scale of the information operation
The sudden and multiple-fold increase in the number of anti-Ukrainian narratives in the Polish segment of the Internet is undeniable evidence of targeted external influence. According to analysts from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), published on August 23, 2026, the formal pretext (trigger) for launching the campaign was the Ukrainian President's decision on May 26 to award one of the military units the honorary title of "Heroes of the UPA."
The network's reaction to this event was anomalous. The consequences of this information injection proved unprecedented: the number of anti-Ukrainian mentions in the Polish-language space instantly surged by 345%. During May and July alone, nearly 500,000 such materials were generated, and the average daily number of toxic mentions jumped from less than 1,000 to approximately 10,000.
An analysis of key platforms – X (Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok – vividly demonstrates the multi-level technology of the Russian cognitive operation. PISM notes that the core of the most radical narratives was formed and disseminated by coordinated bot networks, blind troll accounts directly linked to Russian intelligence services, and marginal pro-Russian political circles. Their primary task was to create a massive emotional flare-up and a so-called "echo chamber" effect. Once a critical mass of publications was reached, social media algorithms picked up the scandal, and the majority of comments and shares began to be generated by ordinary, emotionally charged Polish users. This is a classic Kremlin mechanism: artificially fan the flames so that society continues to maintain the fire on its own.
The technology of exploiting historical trauma
The Kremlin acts cynically and pragmatically, deliberately striking at the most painful historical and political pages in relations with Ukraine for Polish society. Russia understands that historical memory is an area where rational arguments often give way to deep emotions. Its goal is not to seek historical justice or resolve disputes, but to maximize the polarization of society and exacerbate domestic political conflicts.
Furthermore, Russian intelligence services are systematically working to convert virtual hatred into physical action – to provoke real protests, clashes with Ukrainian refugees, and an increase in social tension on the streets of Polish cities.
As we analyzed in detail in our material on the 7 principles of Ukrainian-Polish relations, the only effective way to overcome the past is to build joint immunity and coordinate bilateral countermeasures with Ukraine against Russian narratives that have parasitized on tragedies for decades. Whenever these basic principles of dialogue are violated or ignored by the politicians of both countries, an ideological vacuum is formed. Moscow instantly fills this vacuum with right-wing radical discourse and hate speech.
Electoral crosshairs on 2027
According to PISM experts, this anti-Ukrainian hysteria will be artificially fueled and scaled up by Russia in the run-up to and directly during the parliamentary elections in Poland in 2027.
By creating the illusion of total public dissatisfaction with the "Ukrainian issue," the Kremlin is forming the most favorable conditions for the electoral rise of radical and right-wing populist parties. The mechanics are simple: the more polarized a society is, the greater the demand for simple but tough leaders who offer radical solutions. Such a course of events allows Moscow to directly influence the Polish political agenda, paralyze the adoption of complex state decisions, and artificially marginalize those forces that consistently support Ukraine and Warsaw's strong European course.
Hybrid penetration into NATO territory
Cognitive operations in Poland should not be viewed as an isolated phenomenon in an information vacuum: they are an integral part of a broader, comprehensive Russian strategy to destabilize NATO member states from within.
In our study on Russia's covert hybrid operations 95 kilometers inside NATO, we clearly emphasized: Russia considers the information space of Alliance member states as an absolutely legitimate battlefield. Sabotage on European railways, cyberattacks on water supply systems, and psychological operations in social networks are tools from the same arsenal. While they test the resilience of Polish logistics through physical sabotage, they test the resilience of the social contract on social media. The radicalization of Poles and the provocation of internal conflicts are just as much a hybrid penetration of the Alliance's borders as the violation of European airspace by Russian drones.
The European fracture and the Kremlin's strategy
The consequences of the Russian information campaign in Poland are extremely dangerous because they go far beyond Ukrainian-Polish relations. The escalation of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in a key transit state works to weaken the unity of the entire European Union.
The trend toward the radicalization of societies and the rapid growth of support for right-wing populist forces ahead of national elections is currently observed not only in Warsaw. Similar processes, generously fueled by Russian intelligence services, are actively developing in France, Germany, Slovakia, and other EU states. The strengthening of these political forces, the artificial provocation of domestic political conflicts, and the deepening of the divide over providing financial and military aid to Kyiv create ideal conditions for the Kremlin to paralyze pan-European institutions.
Moscow's ultimate strategic goal is absolutely transparent. As we noted in the analysis of Russia's preparation for the next war, a direct military confrontation between Russia and a united Europe cannot be successful for the Kremlin without the preliminary political and social dismantling of European solidarity. By destroying the common European policy regarding support for Ukraine today, Russia is shaping a comfortable, fragmented, radically polarized European landscape consumed by internal squabbles for tomorrow.
The Polish case, featuring an unprecedented surge of managed anti-Ukrainian propaganda, is a test of Russian information weaponry and a wake-up call for the entire continent.
If Europe does not learn to effectively block targeted cognitive attacks and defend its information sovereignty, internal radicalization will leave European democracies defenseless even before the first real shot is fired.