Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Tuesday, Poland’s digital affairs minister stated that Russia is making an unprecedented effort to meddle in the country’s presidential election. This comes as the campaign approaches its final stages, with the first round of voting set for May 18.
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it interferes in foreign elections and criticised the decision to cancel the election in Romania. According to reports, Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it interferes in foreign elections and criticised the decision to cancel the election in Romania.
Why does Poland believe it’s a Russian priority target?
Poland claims that its position as a support hub for Ukraine has made it a primary target for Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation. Consequently, Warsaw remains vigilant against potential interference, particularly following Romania’s cancellation of a presidential election in December due to accusations of Russian involvement.
“During the current presidential elections in Poland, we are facing an unprecedented attempt to interfere in the electoral process from the Russian side,”
Krzysztof Gawkowski told a defence conference.
“This is being done… (by) spreading disinformation in combination with hybrid attacks on Polish critical infrastructure in order to paralyse the normal functioning of the state,”
He added.
What critical infrastructure is under cyber threat in Poland?
He noted that assaults focused on water and sewage companies, heating and power plants, as well as state administration entities. He mentioned that the volume of Russian cyberattacks in Poland had more than doubled compared to the previous year.
“Today in Poland, during every minute of my speech, a dozen or so incidents targeting critical infrastructure were recorded,”
He said.
How frequently are Russian attacks hitting Polish systems?
In March, Warsaw reported a cyberattack on the Polish space agency. In 2024, Poland indicated that the state news agency was probably targeted by a Russian cyberattack. Additionally, Warsaw and its partners have accused Moscow of involvement in arson and sabotage activities across Europe. Russia, however, denies these allegations.
Warsaw has consistently accused Moscow of trying to destabilise Poland due to its involvement in providing military assistance to Ukraine, claims that Russia has rejected.
The agency informed news agency PAP that a cybersecurity incident had taken place. They are currently analysing the situation, and to protect the data, the POLSA network was promptly disconnected from the Internet, according to their statement to PAP.
