BBC journalists have discovered 22 Telegram channels with pro-Russian propaganda that target Polish audiences with the aim of hindering support for Ukraine, polarizing public opinion, and creating a divide between Polish and Ukrainian societies.
BBC journalists have discovered 22 Telegram channels with pro-Russian propaganda that target Polish audiences with the aim of hindering support for Ukraine, polarizing public opinion, and creating a divide between Polish and Ukrainian societies.
Analyzing Telegram data, the BBC found that many of the channels appeared around the time of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Some of them were previously conducted in Russian, but then changed the language to Polish. Most of them frequently quote, repost or mention each other.
Telegram is not popular in Poland, but these false messages are further spread to larger platforms such as X and Facebook.
The channels show signs of ties to Russia or Belarus. For example, the timing of many channels' posts suggests that they follow a rotating posting schedule that corresponds to Moscow business hours.
They also often quote or copy content from Russian state media outlets such as RT and Sputnik, which are banned in the European Union for manipulating information and spreading propaganda.
In addition, they refer to Putin, Medvedev, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Russian TV presenter and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, and pro-Russian war commentators known as "Z-bloggers."
Among these channels:
All channels are spreading false, manipulated, or outright fabricated content. Some messages are blatantly pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian, but others are more subtle.
