Russia’s Escalating Information War Against Central and Eastern Europe

Russia is waging an escalating campaign of information and cyber warfare against Central and Eastern European states, seeking not only to destabilize them from within but also to expand its political influence across the region.

Information has emerged as one of the principal instruments of geopolitical competition, with Russia’s strategic deployment of information warfare and media disinformation posing a serious challenge to states across Central and Eastern Europe. The primary threats include targeted disinformation campaigns, manipulation of public opinion, attacks on media freedom, and systematic efforts to influence political decision-making through propaganda and cyber tools.

As part of its broader destabilization strategy, Moscow employs diverse information operations aimed at undermining the internal stability of these nations while discouraging deeper integration with Western security structures like NATO and the European Union.

In Poland, according to military counterintelligence reports, Russia—with Belarusian support—conducted sophisticated disinformation campaigns between 2022 and 2024 that promoted conspiracy theories undermining trust in climate science and environmental policies. These efforts were strategically timed to fuel social and political instability ahead of Poland’s presidential election.

Romania’s political landscape experienced significant disruption following its 2024 presidential election, which saw the rise of pro-Russian political forces. The victory of Călin Georgescu, a candidate with pro-Russian and anti-EU positions, raised serious concerns within European Union institutions. Many analysts viewed this outcome as a direct result of effective Russian disinformation efforts designed to weaken Romania’s Western integration.

Russian propaganda consistently supports anti-Western, populist, and Eurosceptic movements that serve as channels for spreading narratives eroding regional and international cohesion. The Kremlin employs both “hard” disinformation tools and “soft” forms of manipulation, including cultural narratives designed to foster distrust of democratic institutions and Western alliances.

One of the most concerning tactics involves the dissemination of false information intended to spark social chaos and inflame political tensions. During the border crisis between Poland and Belarus, for example, Russian and Belarusian media coordinated with troll farms to spread false claims that Poland was treating migrants brutally and denying humanitarian assistance. Videos, photographs, and manipulated reports circulated across social media platforms in an effort to provoke international criticism and damage Poland’s reputation.

The technological sophistication of these operations has advanced significantly with the emergence of deepfakes—manipulated video and audio content that makes false information harder to detect while enhancing its apparent credibility. In June 2024, a fabricated video appeared online showing US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller commenting on American support for Ukraine, designed to mislead public opinion and undermine trust in official communications.

Russia also conducts coordinated campaigns portraying NATO as an aggressor and Russia as a victim. These narratives aim to foster distrust toward the Alliance and undermine its credibility across the region. During the Poland-Belarus border crisis, Russian and Belarusian authorities carried out coordinated disinformation campaigns accusing EU and NATO member states of violating international and humanitarian law, seeking to discredit Euro-Atlantic structures.

The “Doppelgänger” operation represents another sophisticated approach, involving the creation of fake websites mimicking official sites of European institutions like NATO. These platforms published false press releases suggesting, for example, that NATO members planned to double the Alliance’s military budget or were considering deploying Ukrainian paramilitary units in France to suppress protests.

Media control and censorship remain critical components of Russia’s strategy. A plan revealed by Moldovan investigative journalists outlined a Russian strategy to gain control over Moldova by 2030, which included expanding informational influence potentially through capturing parts of the media landscape and pressuring journalists to promote pro-Russian narratives while silencing critical voices.

The cyber dimension of this information warfare has grown increasingly concerning. After 2022, a significant rise in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure was recorded across various countries in the region. In Poland alone, around 40,000 cyber incidents were registered in 2022, doubling to 80,000 in 2023, with forecasts predicting further increases.

Russia continues to intensify its activities in cyberspace, employing both traditional hacking techniques and more advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms. These attacks target not only data deletion or alteration but also spread disinformation and create chaos that hinders effective responses to crisis situations.

As these threats evolve, the information security landscape in Central and Eastern Europe remains precariously vulnerable to Russia’s increasingly sophisticated influence operations and cyber warfare capabilities.