A new system will form Poland’s formal response to disinformation, said Stanisław Żaryn, the government’s point person for information space security, in an interview with PAP. He underscored that disinformation campaigns, largely orchestrated by Russia, pose a state-level threat that demands a coordinated, national-level reaction.
Simultaneously, the Prime Minister designated Żaryn as the Government Plenipotentiary for the Security of the Information Space of the Republic of Poland.
In the interview, the newly appointed secretary of state noted that, within the Prime Minister’s chancellery, his duties would continue to include serving as a deputy to the coordinating minister.
His mandate will include overseeing the analytical and informational work of the secret services, he explained.
State response to disinformation
Żaryn recalled that the second post to be established was created on 11 August in the framework of the Council of Ministers.
His primary mission, he said, is to coordinate efforts to identify information threats—disinformation campaigns, influence operations, and various aggressive uses of information—and to ensure a robust, unified response.
His description of the goal was clear: to build a system capable of recognizing and neutralizing these threats and to provide a consistent, state-led response to disinformation.
According to Żaryn, the system is intended to be the state’s deliberate and coordinated reaction to disinformation, rather than a collection of disparate actions scattered across agencies.
A threat to the state
The plenipotentiary for information space security emphasized the government’s intention to strengthen the work of the Ministry of National Security over the last two years in response to evolving threats. He argued that the current risk landscape justifies a more integrated approach.
“We can clearly see that the disinformation campaigns primarily conducted by the Russian Federation against Poland should be treated as a threat to the state,” he stated. He noted that these threats have grown and intensified in recent months, prompting a reevaluation of how different institutions cooperate.
Żaryn added that Poland already has several institutions actively addressing such challenges, but there is a need to rethink and consolidate their efforts into a single, coordinated framework that can align strategies and resources across the government.
He described the plan as a comprehensive reform that would bring together analytical, operational, and policy components to better detect, assess, and counter information threats. The aim is to create a resilient information environment where disinformation efforts are identified early and countermeasures are implemented quickly and effectively.
The official also pointed to ongoing collaboration with international partners and other Baltic and Central European administrations to share best practices and threat intelligence, reinforcing Poland’s capacity to respond to external influence campaigns.
Overall, the leadership stressed that countering disinformation is not only about defense but about preserving the integrity of public institutions, elections, and democratic processes, ensuring that citizens receive accurate information and that state decisions are guided by reliable data.
olnk / PAP
Source: wPolityce