Poland’s Sikorski says Russia exploits Western media openness for ‘cognitive warfare’
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski accuses Russia of using Western media to wage “cognitive warfare” while censoring at home, criticizes the state of social platform X under new ownership, and says relations with Moscow will only improve once Russia ends the war and changes course.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski is sharpening his warnings about how Russia uses information tools against European societies and how much room remains to repair ties with Moscow.
In comments on media and information policy, Sikorski said Russia is using Western media to wage what he called “cognitive warfare” against democratic societies, while Western broadcasters face heavy restrictions inside Russia. He pointed to years when Russian television channels such as Russia Today operated in countries including Germany and the United States, even as those states could not broadcast freely in Russia. He said he is surprised that some countries and companies still tolerate this imbalance.
Sikorski argued that autocracies gain an advantage in this environment because, in his words, “we do not censor, while they censor and intimidate.” He contrasted the situation in Poland with Russia by saying that if someone held the kind of open conversation there that they were having with him, they would get into trouble, whereas Poland is a free country and they would not.
He went further in his assessment of Russia’s political culture, calling it a civilizational problem and referring to what he described as Mongol‑Tsarist and Bolshevik patterns that had shaped the state. Attempts at a new beginning, he said, had failed. On future relations, he stated that nothing will return to the way it was before the war and that rebuilding ties depends on Russia ending the conflict and changing policy. When the other side changes its policy, he said, Poland will change its approach as well.
Sikorski also criticized the social media platform X. He said he feels compelled to keep using it because he has 1.2 million followers and automatic translation allows people worldwide to read his posts. At the same time, he said the platform became worse after being bought by Elon Musk, whom he claimed used Russian money. He argued that quality controls had been removed and that the volume of bots and hate had risen significantly. He said he dreams of a European alternative platform where discussion would be more civilized.
These remarks reflect a wider debate inside Europe about how to protect open information spaces from foreign state‑backed channels, whether to ban or restrict certain outlets, and what responsibilities major platforms have when their algorithms are exploited for influence operations.
Poland’s position carries particular weight because the country borders Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and has faced cyber activity, propaganda efforts and pressure at its frontiers. Sikorski’s call for greater awareness of information threats is rooted in that experience.
Policy steps to watch now include whether EU institutions or member states propose new rules for state‑backed broadcasters, transparency requirements around media ownership and funding, or further obligations on social platforms to act against coordinated interference. Changes in how X moderates content and handles suspected bot networks will also shape how officials like Sikorski choose to communicate with their audiences.
Sources
- OSINT