A man casts his ballot during the first round of the presidential elections on May 18, 2025 in … More
Getty ImagesPoland faced a large-scale campaign of foreign interference during its recent presidential election, with coordinated efforts by Russia and Belarus to spread disinformation, undermine public trust, and influence political outcomes, according to government officials and cybersecurity experts.
In May, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Poland was subjected to “unprecedented” attempts by Russia to interfere in the election. These included disinformation campaigns and hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure intended to “paralyze the normal functioning of the state.” He also noted that Russian military intelligence activity in Poland had doubled compared to the previous year.
Between January and mid-May, Poland’s Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK) identified over 10,000 social media accounts disseminating disinformation aimed at swaying the election.
Around 400 accounts were found to be linked to the Social Design Agency, a Kremlin-funded, EU-sanctioned Russian organization involved in disinformation campaigns. The accounts promoted content echoing “the narrative of the Russian Federation’s psychological and informational apparatus,” NASK said in a statement.
Some of the disinformation materials targeted a specific presidential candidate, although NASK declined to disclose which one. Identical messaging and visuals were also found on Telegram channels previously identified as participating in Russian disinformation campaigns.
Gawkowski also pointed to unauthorized Facebook ad campaigns valued at “hundreds of thousands of zlotys” that targeted presidential candidates but were not registered with any official election committee.
A recent report by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) and Alliance4Europe detailed how Radio Belarus, the Polish-language branch of Belarus’s state-run Belteleradio, ran a digital influence campaign to discredit the Polish election. Using platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, X, and Facebook, the broadcaster promoted messages questioning the legitimacy of the vote, endorsing some candidates while attacking others.
According to the report, Radio Belarus used manipulative techniques to portray establishment candidates as aligned with foreign interests, criticize Poland’s support for Ukraine, and boost lesser-known anti-establishment figures. By early May, the outlet had published more than 7,790 posts and videos, generating more than 16 million views and at least 542,000 engagements.
Martyna Hoffman, a co-author of the report, says that while TikTok proactively used geofencing to block access to Radio Belarus’s harmful content in Poland, YouTube failed to take meaningful action, issuing only standard rejections to user reports.
Belarus, widely regarded as a Russian satellite state, has consistently supported the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns. The country allowed its territory to be used during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and frequently amplifies pro-Russian messaging.
In its Country Risk Election Assessment, Alliance4Europe warned that Russia and Belarus have been exploiting domestic political divisions in Poland, particularly around judicial reforms, migration and civil rights, to undermine public trust in democratic institutions. The group identified five major disinformation narratives pursued by Russia, including anti-Ukraine, anti-migrant, and anti-EU/NATO messaging.
The assessment also documented several coordinated operations in the lead-up to the election. One cyberattack targeted the Civic Platform party’s computer systems and was linked to Russian sources. Another involved the Polish branch of the Pravda network, which republishes content from sanctioned Russian media. Russian intelligence also attempted to recruit Polish citizens via the dark web, offering payments in exchange for spreading pro-Russian propaganda.
One campaign, dubbed Operation Overload, involved impersonating news outlets to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. Another, known as the Doppelganger campaign, distorted Polish news stories and mimicked legitimate sources on platforms such as X and Facebook, using fake accounts to distribute misleading content.
As part of a broader strategy to counter Russian disinformation and hybrid threats in Europe, the European Union banned 18 media outlets accused of deliberately spreading Kremlin-backed narratives about the war in Ukraine. In May, the bloc unveiled a new sanctions package targeting individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare efforts, including those spreading Russian disinformation on social media.
Aleksandra Wójtowicz, a new technologies and digitalization analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, says social media platforms made noticeably less effort to combat disinformation during this election compared to Poland’s 2023 parliamentary vote. “TikTok took a more ambitious approach, but overall, fact-checking labels and links to reliable sources were largely missing,” she adds.
Poland has responded to the growing Russian threat by bolstering its cybersecurity infrastructure, including the launch of a one billion zloty (approximately $260 million) Artificial Intelligence Fund. The initiative, backed by Poland’s defense and digital affairs ministries, is designed to boost cyber defenses and develop dual-use technologies to counter hybrid threats.
However, a recent report by a commission investigating Russian and Belarusian influence found that Poland’s counter-disinformation efforts in recent years have been “insufficient, ad hoc, inconsistent, and often superficial.”
In 2024 alone, Poland recorded more than 600,000 cyber incidents attributed to Russian actors, a 60% year-over-year increase. “There is no other country within the European Union facing similar threats,” Gawkowski said.
