„Dyplomacja megafonów” jako narzędzie wojny informacyjnej Rosji w świetle wypowiedzi ambasadora Siergieja Andriejewa

Information warfare is today one of the most important means of competing for political dominance. It is extremely difficult to counter these activities, as effective mechanisms capable of preventing propaganda, disinformation, manipulation, or fake news have not yet been developed. The aim of the article is to outline the role of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in propaganda and disinformation activities. Understanding these mechanisms may help in developing effective methods of countering them. The author employs critical analysis of selected press materials and a comparative method. The shaping of information and the way it is interpreted affect entire societies and extend across a wide range of subject areas. These include reports concerning politics, the economy, national security, as well as history, art, culture, and health, as illustrated by anti-vaccination movements. Such activities may serve as a prelude to armed conflict in the traditional sense, but they usually result in destabilization within a country and shape political views, sympathies and antipathies, public moods, and memory politics. They often do not produce immediate effects. Rather, they are designed to operate over many years, gradually changing perceptions of reality and contributing to a broad social, political, defence-related, and economic crisis. Through the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Poland, Russian diplomacy is clearly engaging on one of the fronts of information warfare, taking advantage of the public’s helplessness in the face of information overload. Although it is possible to verify selected content, most recipients not only lack the appropriate competences to do so, but do not even feel the need to question the information they receive.