Poland accuses Russia of ‘unprecedented’ interference ahead of presidential election

Poland’s top cyber official warned this week that Russia is waging an “unprecedented” effort to disrupt the country’s upcoming presidential election through disinformation and hybrid cyberattacks.

Speaking at a defense conference, digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Russian-linked actors are targeting Poland's critical infrastructure — including water and sewage systems, heat and power plants and government agencies — to destabilize the country.

“There is no other country in the European Union that faces similar threats,” Gawkowski said, claiming Russian cyberattacks against Poland have more than doubled this year.

Gawkowski also accused Moscow of recruiting Polish citizens to help spread disinformation and warned that those who participate would be held criminally responsible.

The presidential election is scheduled for May, with a possible runoff on June 1. Warsaw has previously raised concerns about Russian attempts to influence the vote, including an April cyberattack that disrupted systems linked to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In January, Polish officials said Russia was trying to recruit locals via darknet forums to carry out influence operations ahead of the election.

Poland’s warning follows similar concerns in neighbouring Romania, where the pro-Kremlin hacktivist group NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for a wave of cyberattacks on government websites during the weekend’s presidential election rerun.

In December, Romania annulled the results of its initial vote after declassified intelligence pointed to Russian interference, including covert influence campaigns on TikTok and other social media platforms.

Russia has previously denied accusations of cyberattacks or election interference in both Poland and Romania.