Poles are being subjected to manipulation, warns presidential advisor Stanisław Żaryn. He points out that disinformation tactics known from the East are now being employed against candidates in Poland, and the media-driven smear campaign targeting Karol Nawrocki closely resembles methods used by the Kremlin in the West.
“Frontal Attack” and “Guerrilla Attack” — Proven Russian Tactics
Stanisław Żaryn, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland, shared on social media an excerpt from an article by Dr. Michał Wojnowski, a former expert with the Internal Security Agency (ABW) and a specialist in psychological operations conducted by Russian intelligence services.
According to the analysis, disinformation and discrediting of candidates during election campaigns follow a two-pronged approach:
- Frontal Attack – rarely used, involving the release of compromising facts shortly before elections (typically 4–6 days before voting);
- Guerrilla Attack – much more common, based on actions taken by allegedly independent entities that publish information damaging to a candidate’s image.
“Usually, this is done by releasing compromising information or disinformation to the public, which damages the candidate’s image and can influence voter awareness,”
Żaryn quotes.
The Goal: Acceptance or Discrediting
Russian propagandists, as Wojnowski notes, employ so-called legalization techniques: they create controlled leaks, publish information citing “anonymous sources,” and use statements from high-ranking individuals to give an illusion of credibility.
The objective? “To lead society to accept certain views, support specific individuals, or to discredit them.”
Żaryn explicitly states that the patterns described in Dr. Wojnowski’s analysis perfectly match the months-long campaign against Karol Nawrocki, an independent civic candidate for president.
“This resembles a coordinated campaign of discreditation and defamation, a typical method of Russian intelligence services in operations against Western countries,”
Żaryn warns.
He emphasizes that such actions are now being carried out by mainstream media, with the involvement of politicians from the ruling coalition. Żaryn directly points to Prime Minister Donald Tusk as the political patron behind the current media campaign against Nawrocki.