Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced a government investigation into potential foreign interference in the country’s 2023 general election after reports surfaced of a sophisticated misinformation campaign aimed at influencing the outcome of the parliamentary vote.
The revelations, published by the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza on Monday, detail an investigation by Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) which uncovered a targeted disinformation campaign allegedly orchestrated by hackers working on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
The attackers are believed to have had ties to Russian intelligence.
According to the report, the hackers sent out 187,000 text messages containing political propaganda, urging people to vote for the right-wing nationalist-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The messages, which falsely claimed that PiS had restored dignity for senior citizens and would cover funeral costs for retirees, were sent in the lead-up to the election.
Further investigation revealed that the campaign was more extensive than initially thought, with an additional 600,000 messages queued for delivery.
The attackers are believed to have had ties to Russian intelligence.
Misinformation campaign
According to the report, the hackers sent out 187,000 text messages containing political propaganda, urging people to vote for the right-wing nationalist-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The messages, which falsely claimed that PiS had restored dignity for senior citizens and would cover funeral costs for retirees, were sent in the lead-up to the election.
Further investigation revealed that the campaign was more extensive than initially thought, with an additional 600,000 messages queued for delivery.
However, these were blocked after the owner of the messaging platform alerted authorities to suspicious activity. The investigation determined that the messages were not sent by PiS or its official campaign, but by a private company whose messaging platform had been hacked.
The company in question denied any involvement in the campaign, asserting that hackers had gained access to their account by obtaining login credentials.
The report also uncovered another element of the misinformation campaign: pro-PiS graphics were displayed on information kiosks in 20 shopping malls across Poland on October 14, during the election silence period, when campaigning is prohibited.
These graphics featured prominent PiS politicians, including then Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, along with slogans such as “Free funerals for retirees” and “We won’t bow to Moscow, Berlin or Brussels.”
While the content appeared to support PiS, it did not align with the party’s official election platform. Investigators traced the origin of the materials to a visual communication agency in southern Poland, which had been breached by hackers.
Experts in cyberterrorism, working under Prosecutor Mariusz Kierepka, suggested that the operation was highly sophisticated, indicating the involvement of professional hackers. The methods employed in the attack, including the hacking of both the SMS platform and the infokiosk system, were consistent with tactics commonly used by Russian intelligence agencies in disinformation campaigns across Europe.
“This was clearly the work of professionals,” an expert told Gazeta Wyborcza, “The methods align with Russian intelligence operations seen in other countries.”
The company in question denied any involvement in the campaign, asserting that hackers had gained access to their account by obtaining login credentials.
Unauthorized graphics displayed
The report also uncovered another element of the misinformation campaign: pro-PiS graphics were displayed on information kiosks in 20 shopping malls across Poland on October 14, during the election silence period, when campaigning is prohibited.
These graphics featured prominent PiS politicians, including then Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, along with slogans such as “Free funerals for retirees” and “We won’t bow to Moscow, Berlin or Brussels.”
While the content appeared to support PiS, it did not align with the party’s official election platform. Investigators traced the origin of the materials to a visual communication agency in southern Poland, which had been breached by hackers.
Suspicion of Russian involvement
Experts in cyberterrorism, working under Prosecutor Mariusz Kierepka, suggested that the operation was highly sophisticated, indicating the involvement of professional hackers. The methods employed in the attack, including the hacking of both the SMS platform and the infokiosk system, were consistent with tactics commonly used by Russian intelligence agencies in disinformation campaigns across Europe.
“This was clearly the work of professionals,” an expert told Gazeta Wyborcza, “The methods align with Russian intelligence operations seen in other countries.”
Tusk’s response and investigation
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, leader of the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, which was likely the target of the misinformation campaign, has now vowed to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Taking to social media platform X he said: “The case will be taken up by the College for Special Services [an advisory body in matters of coordinating the activities of special services].
“Having learned from the experience of the last few years in Poland and other countries in Europe, we will not allow foreign interference in our elections.”
Taking to social media platform X he said: “The case will be taken up by the College for Special Services [an advisory body in matters of coordinating the activities of special services].
“Having learned from the experience of the last few years in Poland and other countries in Europe, we will not allow foreign interference in our elections.”
PiS denies involvement
The Law and Justice party has vehemently denied any involvement in the misinformation campaign, though it remains under scrutiny for its broader role in eroding democratic norms during its eight years in power.
From 2015 to 2023, PiS faced accusations of undermining the rule of law, manipulating the judiciary, and transforming state-run media into a propaganda tool.
Despite these criticisms, PiS has remained a dominant force in Polish politics. During its tenure, the party has also been embroiled in several high-profile scandals, including allegations of a ‘visas-for-cash’ scheme and mismanagement of funds during a failed attempt to organize a mail-in vote for the 2020 presidential elections.
While the party denies any wrongdoing in these incidents, the latest allegations of foreign interference in the election add another layer of controversy to PiS’s political legacy.
The ongoing investigation into the hacking campaign comes at a time of heightened concerns over foreign influence in European elections.
In recent years, Russian disinformation efforts have targeted several countries, including the United States, France and Germany, with the aim of swaying public opinion and stoking political divisions.
If Russian involvement in Poland’s elections is confirmed, it could further strain relations between the two countries, which have already been tense over Ukraine and Poland’s strong alignment with Western European and NATO interests.
From 2015 to 2023, PiS faced accusations of undermining the rule of law, manipulating the judiciary, and transforming state-run media into a propaganda tool.
Despite these criticisms, PiS has remained a dominant force in Polish politics. During its tenure, the party has also been embroiled in several high-profile scandals, including allegations of a ‘visas-for-cash’ scheme and mismanagement of funds during a failed attempt to organize a mail-in vote for the 2020 presidential elections.
While the party denies any wrongdoing in these incidents, the latest allegations of foreign interference in the election add another layer of controversy to PiS’s political legacy.
Broader implications
The ongoing investigation into the hacking campaign comes at a time of heightened concerns over foreign influence in European elections.
In recent years, Russian disinformation efforts have targeted several countries, including the United States, France and Germany, with the aim of swaying public opinion and stoking political divisions.
If Russian involvement in Poland’s elections is confirmed, it could further strain relations between the two countries, which have already been tense over Ukraine and Poland’s strong alignment with Western European and NATO interests.
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