Poland warns social media giants over Russia’s ‘digital war’

Poland has recently blasted social media giants for aiding Russia in a digital war against Moscow by calling them “silent allies.”

The scathing attack comes from the Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krysztof Gawkowski who believed that these social media platforms are doing nothing to curb disinformation. In the case of persistent ignorance, the big tech will consequently face financial penalties.

According to Poland and other western countries Russia is responsible for inciting divisions in the societies through propaganda and disinformation. Poland's NASK National ​Research Institute’s data revealed that these platforms ignored the requests of more than 65000 reports of fake news and disinformation in the first half of 2026.

"A digital war with Russia is underway, and within this digital war lies a front of disinformation. On this disinformation front, there is a silent ally ​to the Russian bots and the Kremlin’s GRU: social media platforms," Gawkowski said.

Data also indicates that social media platforms deleted 7% of reported fake accounts and disinformation cases, with moderation actions taken on slightly more than 17%.

In response, Gawkowski noted that these statistics reflect deliberate platform practices designed to generate revenue from high-engagement disinformation rather than mere operational shortcomings.

To tackle the menace of fake news, he demanded that these big tech companies should establish “effective Polish-speaking content moderation teams” to maintain transparency in reporting. He also urged the elimination of “sham appeals processes.”

In the case of non-compliance, they will face fines, and any “state request left ​unfulfilled by these platforms will trigger proceedings to impose financial penalties upon them," Gawkowski also said.

However, the Kremlin has denied wrongdoing and slammed the western governments for manipulating narratives for their own political motives.