Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Poland is the European country most targeted by Russian disinformation and cyberattacks in the run-up to the presidential election, according to a senior Polish minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gaukowski, in charge of digital affairs, told reporters on Wednesday that as the country prepares for the May vote, “attacks from Russian surveillance agencies have continued for weeks and months. It’s a constant process,” he said.
“Poland is the most frequently attacked country in Europe,” he said, adding that his government would soon provide more details about Russia’s “cyberwar against Poland” and its plans to counter it.
His warning came after Romania took the unprecedented decision last month to cancel its presidential elections over allegations of Russian interference. Germany and the Czech Republic are also bracing for attempts by Russia to interfere in future parliamentary votes.
Gaukowski said last week that Warsaw had identified a Russian-backed disinformation group trying to disrupt Poland’s election campaign from abroad.
“We have been very focused on Russian activity through the pre-election process and attempts to influence the outcome,” Gaukowski said. “We are monitoring the actions of the GRU (Russian military intelligence service) here in Poland and are equipped to disrupt them.”
The Polish government also accused Moscow of a “hybrid war” in aiding migrants to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally. In October, Warsaw ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Poznań after accusing its diplomats of spying and sabotage. Polish authorities have blamed Russia for recent arson attacks, including a fire at Warsaw’s largest shopping mall last May.
Some disinformation campaigns aim to weaken Poland’s support for Ukraine, nearly three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Earlier this month, the Polish government warned that a Ukrainian man living in Poland had been sent a fake summons. Last spring, the government debunked reports that Poles would be sent to fight in Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the time that it was a “good example of Russia’s destabilizing strategy” ahead of the European Parliament elections.
Poland’s right-wing opposition accused Tusk’s coalition of flaunting the Russian threat to win the presidential election.
“When I was at the Ministry of Defense, we had to face daily attacks from Russia and Belarus on the Ministry’s servers. So naturally we are at war with Russia in the cyber and information field,” the opposition Justice Ministry said. Marcin Osiepa said. Member of the Judiciary (PiS) and former Deputy Minister of Defence.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, “we’ve had several elections and had very smooth transitions of government. . . . So everyone thinks the next presidential election will be more vulnerable.” There’s no reason to say that.”
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Chinese social media platform TikTok after it allegedly allowed a Russia-backed influence campaign ahead of Romania’s cancellation of the vote. The city of Brussels has also begun a reassessment of investigations into major US online platforms, including the role Elon Musk’s X played in expanding far-right parties in Europe ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. .
“We are entering an era of new threats to liberal democracies, with Europe facing a pincer attack from East and West. It is linked to a lack of accountability,” said Georg Riekeres, associate director at the European Policy Center, a Brussels-based think tank.
“I fear that if these algorithms are not properly managed, the exercise of liberal democracy will become impossible.”
