Poland is facing an unprecedented attempt by Russia to interfere in its presidential election, the digital affairs minister said on Tuesday, as the first round of voting looms on May 18th.
Poland says its role as a hub for aid to Ukraine has made it a target for Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation, and it has been on high alert for interference, especially after Romania cancelled a presidential election in December due to alleged Russian meddling.
“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.”
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it interferes in foreign elections.
Mr Gawkowski said Polish water and sewage companies, heat and power plants and state administration bodies had all been attacked, and that Russian involvement in such attacks had more than doubled this year.
“Today in Poland, during every minute of my speech, a dozen or so incidents targeting critical infrastructure were recorded,” he said.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw declined to comment on the matter and recommended asking Mr Gawkowski to “provide evidence for his insinuation”.
Prime minister Donald Tusk blamed foreign actors for a cyberattack on the IT systems of his Civic Platform party in April. Since last year, Poland has notably reported cyberattacks on its space agency and the state news agency.
Warsaw and its allies have also alleged that Moscow is behind acts of arson and sabotage around Europe. Russia dismisses these allegations.
In a separate development, Russian air defence forces repelled attacks by 13 Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region and in two other regions, Kaluga and Tula, south of the Russian capital, Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that three drones headed towards Moscow had been shot down. He gave no further details of the incident.
The defence ministry said two Ukrainian drones had been downed over Moscow region, seven in Kaluga and four in Tula regions.
Several Russian media outlets shared videos purportedly showing debris from one of the downed drones in the city of Noginsk, east of the Russian capital.
Russia’s aviation authority halted flights at two of Moscow’s airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, on Tuesday evening.
The drone attack comes just days before President Vladimir Putin hosts several world leaders in Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region bordering Ukraine said one woman had been killed on Tuesday when her car was struck by a Ukrainian drone. − Reuters
