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Social Media Giants Are "Silent Allies" of Russian Bots and Kremlin Intelligence, Poland Warns
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Poland threatened social media companies with financial penalties on October 21 for failing to combat Russian disinformation, accusing major platforms of enabling Kremlin-linked influence operations.
Reuters reported on October 21 that Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski accused social media companies of effectively supporting Russia's information warfare during a press conference in Warsaw.
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"On this disinformation front, there is a silent ally to the Russian bots and the Kremlin’s GRU: social media platforms," Gawkowski declared.
Data from Poland's NASK National Research Institute revealed that social media platforms took action on fewer than a quarter of more than 65,000 reports concerning fake accounts and disinformation submitted during the first half of 2026.
According to the institute, platforms deleted content or accounts in just 7% of reported cases and applied moderation measures in slightly more than 17%. The findings prompted Gawkowski to accuse technology companies of deliberately benefiting financially from disinformation rather than adequately addressing it.
The minister demanded that platforms establish effective Polish-speaking moderation teams capable of communicating directly with authorities in real time. He also called for the immediate removal of identified bot networks, faster responses to reported violations, and an end to what he described as ineffective appeals procedures.
Gawkowski warned that every unfulfilled request from Polish authorities would trigger proceedings to impose financial penalties against the responsible company. The announcement represents a threat of enforcement rather than confirmation that fines have already been imposed.
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Discord, Google, Meta, X, Telegram, and TikTok did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Poland's confrontation with social media platforms reflects broader European concerns about Russian information operations targeting Western societies. Polish authorities and other Western governments have repeatedly accused Moscow of spreading disinformation to deepen political divisions and destabilize democratic institutions.
Russia has consistently rejected these accusations, claiming that Western governments deliberately exaggerate the threat of Russian interference for political purposes.
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Russia's online influence networks have also come under pressure from Ukraine's long-range strike campaign.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on October 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russian bot activity on social media had dropped after drone strikes on Yandex data centers. The attacks hit facilities in Sasovo in the Ryazan region, Kaluga, and the Vladimir region between October 8 and October 11.
Automated traffic from Yandex's network fell close to zero by October 11, although the data could not establish whether Russian propaganda operations were directly affected.
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