Poland's National Cybersecurity Agency (NASK) has launched a campaign to combat disinformation, Polish daily Rzeczpospolita reported on Tuesday.
Citing the EU’s “EU vs Disinfo” center, the newspaper reported that Russia is attempting to influence the outcome of Poland’s upcoming presidential election by spreading false information online.
Among the claims being circulated are that the European Union is seeking to prevent far-right candidate Sławomir Mentzen from running in the election - and may even cancel the vote entirely.
NASK, which oversees cybercrime efforts, has also issued a warning about the Russian disinformation campaign, which is being carried out primarily on the social media platform X.
The false narratives are reportedly being pushed by accounts previously involved in spreading anti-Ukrainian content.
Experts quoted by Rzeczpospolita warn that Russia’s influence operations may intensify as election day approaches, potentially involving direct cyberattacks on voting infrastructure - such as voter registration databases or electronic voting systems.
Such disruptions could force a manual ballot count, as seen in the UK during the 2022 elections.
Similar tactics were used in previous elections in Germany, Moldova and Romania, according to Rzeczpospolita.
(mp/gs)
Source: IAR/NASK/Rzeczpospolita/X/@rzeczpospolita