Poland neutralises sabotage group linked to Belarus and Russia

Warsaw accuses Moscow of destabilising Poland; thwarted cyberattacks linked to Russia and Belarus, targeting military aid to Ukraine

Polish security services have neutralised a sabotage operation orchestrated by Russia and Belarus that aimed to destabilise Poland, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday (September 9, 2024).

Warsaw has repeatedly accused Moscow of attempting to destabilise Poland because of its role in supplying military aid to its neighbour Ukraine, allegations Russia has dismissed.

Saboteurs, operating from Belarus in cooperation with Russia, penetrated local and central government institutions, including state-owned companies implementing military contracts, he said.

"The Belarusian and Russian foreign services... had a specific goal - to extort information, to blackmail individuals and institutions and to wage a de facto cyberwar," said Mr. Gawkowski, who is also minister for digital affairs.

He said the operational goal, to steal data for blackmail purposes, had been thwarted.

Mr. Gawkowski says cyberattacks have doubled since last year, targeting Polish organisations and institutions, including logistics companies that run military deliveries to Ukraine.

"In cyberspace, dangers come every hour, every minute. It often happens that there are over a thousand incidents in a day," said Gawkowski, who in June said Poland had blocked several cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure.