WARSAW, Sept 9 (Askume) – Polish security services have foiled a sabotage campaign planned by Russia and Belarus aimed at destabilising Poland, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawzowski said on Monday.
Warsaw has repeatedly accused Moscow of trying to destabilise Poland over its military aid to neighbouring Ukraine, a charge Russia denies.
He said Belarusian saboteurs working with Russia have infiltrated local and central government agencies, including state-owned companies that execute military contracts.
“Belarusian and Russian diplomats have a specific goal – to intercept messages to extort money, blackmail individuals and institutions, and start a real cyber war,” Gorkovsky, who is also minister for digital affairs, said.
He said the operation’s goal of stealing information for blackmail purposes had been thwarted.
Gorkowski said cyberattacks had doubled since last year, targeting Polish organisations and institutions, including logistics companies delivering military supplies to Ukraine.
“In cyberspace, threats arise every hour, every minute. Often there are more than a thousand incidents a day,” Gorkowski said. He said in June that Poland had prevented attacks on its critical infrastructure.
Poland has also linked Russia to incidents of sabotage and arson on its territory and said that Russian secret services were actively gathering information on weapons shipments to Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 .
