According to the newspaper, the Polish parliamentary commission on Russian influence had, by February 2025, handed over a list of 25 individuals to the Internal Security Agency (ABW) for spreading Russian propaganda, repeating pro-Russian content, as well as anti-EU, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-NATO propaganda.
The commission has evidence that at least some of these websites are funded by Moscow. Among them are Marcin Rola, the owner of the television channel wRealu24, former Polish League of Families (LPR) MP Artur Zawisza, and former Self-Defence party member Konrad Rękas.
The commission wants to know what actions the ABW has taken against these individuals and whether their websites can be blocked in the event of war with Russia.
Gazeta Wyborcza cites a source from the commission, General Jarosław Stróżyk, who claims that despite Maciej Maciak not being on the list, his name is still within the interest of the commission’s members, especially since he is running in this year’s presidential election.
Polish presidential candidate Maciak in the spotlight amid Russian influence concerns
Maciej Maciak, a 54-year-old journalist from Włocławek (a city in central Poland) and the founder of the Movement for Prosperity and Peace, is one of 13 presidential candidates registered by the National Electoral Commission (PKW) for the upcoming elections.
In the past, he is said to have appeared on Belarusian state-controlled radio, where he praised Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
On his YouTube channel "Musisz to wiedzieć" (You Must Know), which has nearly 67,000 subscribers, he presents himself as an anti-establishment figure, an opponent of armament, and an advocate for cooperation with Eastern countries.
He also criticizes American capital and Poland’s ruling elites, accusing them of pushing the country toward war with Russia. Google Analytics data reveals that during the first presidential debate on Friday in Końskie, the most searches on the internet were related to him.
Russians may exploit Maciak's candidacy to test Poland's electoral system
According to the Polish state news agency PAP, citing the opinion of Kamil Basaj, founder of the INFO OPS Polska Foundation, which focuses on information security, the Russians may attempt to use Maciak's candidacy to test the electoral system in Poland, including the effectiveness of counterintelligence protection.
Basaj points out that the Russians may use this candidacy to test socio-technical and image strategies, which in the future could allow them to create a candidate controlled by the Kremlin.
Although the pro-Russian candidate currently has no chance of winning, he could provide valuable information to the Russians about society's sensitivity to pro-Russian narratives.
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Source: IAR/PAP/Gazeta Wyborcza/X/@gazetapl_news/@PAPinformacje