'De facto cyberwar' — Poland says it uncovered 'saboteurs' working for Russia, Belarus
The Polish government said on Sept. 9 that its security forces had "broken up a group of saboteurs" working for Russian and Belarusian security services.
The announcement came shortly after a group of NATO countries accused a unit of Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) of carrying out cyberattacks against Ukraine and European countries for the past years.
Speaking at a press conference, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the perpetrators' goals were to "extort information, to blackmail individuals and institutions, and to wage de facto cyberwar."
"In recent days, thanks to the cooperation of the security services, it was possible to break up a group of saboteurs who had specific goals in Poland and were addressed from a specific location," Gawkowski said while announcing the news alongside Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.
Gawkowski highlighted a recent cyberattack against the Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA), which was part of a "broader operational game" of foreign security services to gain access to other institutions.
A number of suspected spy networks, allegedly run by Minsk and Moscow, had been uncovered in Poland over the past years. Warsaw has positioned itself as one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, leading to a sharp deterioration of ties with Russia and Belarus.
According to Gawkowski, over 400,000 cyberattacks were reported in Poland in the first half of 2024, compared to 370,000 cases reported in the whole of 2023.
Dominic Culverwell
