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Poland Blames Russia for Wave of Cyberattacks in “Unprecedented” Election Meddling

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Vlad Litnarovych
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Poland Blames Russia for Wave of Cyberattacks in “Unprecedented” Election Meddling
Krzysztof Gawkowski, Polish Minister of Digital Affairs during Warsaw Security Forum 2024, in Warsaw, Poland on October 2, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

Poland is accusing Russia of launching an unprecedented campaign to interfere in its upcoming presidential election, set for May 18, as the country braces for cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation in the final stretch of campaigning, Reuters reported on May 6.

“During the current presidential elections in Poland, we are facing an unprecedented attempt to interfere in the electoral process from the Russian side,” said Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski during a defense conference.

“This is being done… [by] spreading disinformation in combination with hybrid attacks on Polish critical infrastructure in order to paralyze the normal functioning of the state,” he added.

Polish officials say the country’s role as a vital logistics hub for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine has made it a prime target for Russian hostile activity. Authorities have raised concerns over coordinated efforts by Moscow to destabilize the country through cyberattacks and covert sabotage.

Gawkowski said Russian-linked hackers had recently targeted utilities and essential services, including water and sewage systems, heating and power plants, and government bodies. He warned that the scale of cyber aggression has more than doubled compared to last year.

“Today in Poland, during every minute of my speech, a dozen or so incidents targeting critical infrastructure were recorded,” he said.

Tensions have been mounting across Europe over alleged Russian interference. Warsaw said in March that the Polish space agency was hit by a cyberattack, and in 2024, it blamed Russia for breaching the national news agency. Poland and its allies have also linked Moscow to a series of arson and sabotage incidents across the continent—claims the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.

Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine, canceled its own presidential election last December over fears of Russian meddling.

Earlier, Russia launched a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting Moldova, marking the first major operation of its kind against the country.

The Russian disinformation network “Matryoshka” has initiated a large-scale campaign against Moldova, circulating misleading content on social media platforms like X and Bluesky.

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