During the current presidential elections in Poland we face an unprecedented effort of Russian interference - said Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski on Tuesday. Russian attacks take place in infosphere fields and critical infrastructure - he added.
During the inauguration of the Defence24 Days Gawkowski conference, he said that Poland faces continuous attacks from Russia in cyberspace.
He stated that "in 2024 more than 600 1000 incidents were reported, of which more than 100 1000 were undertaken by Polish services (...) - this increase by 60 percent year-on-year".
There is no another country in the structures of the European Union that faces akin threats, said the head of the MC.
Disinformation and attacks on critical infrastructure
He stressed that Poland is besides the main operational mark of Russian attacks in NATO cyberspace. Russians - said Gawkowski - "try to infiltrate what constitutes the area of cybersecurity work in the state - and in fields of disinformation, and in fields of work for critical infrastructure and for respective months in fields of work for democracy".
During the current presidential elections in Poland, we face an unprecedented effort to interfere with Polish elections from the Russian side - said the minister of digitization.
He noted that "it does not go to 1 election committee, but to all election committees."
"This is done in fields of combining attacks on the Polish infosphere, i.e. sowing misinformation, combined with hybrid attacks on the Polish critical infrastructure in order to paralyze the average functioning of the state" - Gawkowski said. The nonsubjective of these attacks - he stressed - is to be disrupting the regular functioning of Poles.
"State traitor"
Deputy Prime Minister stated that Russian military intelligence has doubled its activity in Poland compared to last year. 1 component of Russian disinformation policy - he said - is recruiting people active in the dissemination of false information online to Polish citizens.
"Let's call these things by name-- the answer to specified a well-paid commission is treason, espionage and any individual who thinks that in a simple, easy way 1 can earn, and at the same time creates an influence on the state, i.e. weakens the Polish shield, will pay the work provided by the Criminal Code" - Gawkowski said.
He stated that the Russians see a goal in Poland, not just an object of interest. "Today in Poland In all minute of my speech there were respective incidents registered for critical infrastructure" - said the head of MC.
Cybershield
Gawkowski stated that Thanks to the largest expenditure on Polish cyber defence in history, 1 of the world's strongest cyber shields was built. Investment in the future, which will be crucial for the further improvement of artificial intelligence and safety of Poland in cyberspace, included the Artificial Intelligence Fund "allowing the joint management of immense money that we spend on artificial intelligence". This fund is an initiative in which the departments are involved: cyrfization, defence, discipline and higher education, National Centre for investigation and Development, Polish improvement Fund, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowej and National discipline Centre.
Another investment cited by the head of MC in this area is first Polish quantum connection, which - as he said - "for the civilian and military area is something extraordinary, giving a sense of work that in Poland we have our own equipment, which in the event of war will let independent communication". Gawkowski added that the work on artificial intelligence factories.
Deputy Prime Minister announced that a task for investment in start-ups will be presented soon, which will be liable for cybersecurity fields, among others. "This is reasoning of a country that does not close its eyes to danger and knows perfectly well where the enemy is, how to fight him, how to counter him" - he said.
"Poland can defend itself. She's got the equipment, the people, the resources, she's not gonna spare the money. But the Polish military, the Polish area of civilian cyberspace, can and can besides do the offensive. We don't usage these abilities, but we build them and we mimic them for our safe future. Let these words come out - let all adversary, all APT group (Advanced Persistent Threat Group, dealing with attacks in cyberspace - ed.) have the cognition that We can defend ourselves, but if necessary, we can give it back, too." - stressed the Minister of Digitalization.
The Defence24 Days 2025 conference launched on Tuesday, devoted to defence and safety issues in Central and east Europe and organised by Defence24.pl will take 2 days.
PAP
