Two Russian groups, orchestrated by the Russian military intelligence service GRU, are actively engaging in cyberattacks against Poland, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski stated on TVN 24 commercial news channel on Tuesday.
Gawkowski said that one of these groups aims to spread disinformation within Poland, while the other focuses on paralyzing the nation’s critical infrastructure.
“They operate in coordination. On one side, they target critical infrastructures, and on the other, they spread disinformation to create panic and showcase the government’s inability to cope,” said Gawkowski, highlighting the real threat posed by these activities.
“Our services have already identified these threats, and our cybersecurity operations center has taken action,” assured the deputy prime minister.
When asked about the worst-case scenario of the effects of Russian cyberattacks on Poland, the minister described a potential attack on critical infrastructure that would disrupt water, electricity, and sewage services.
He emphasized that there have been attempts of this nature over the last six months. “We are prepared for any incident, but I imagine that the Russian GRU does not prepare operations just to block my phone,” Gawkowski remarked, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.
The GRU, or Main Intelligence Directorate, is a key institution within Russian military intelligence.
