Poland will spend more than 3 billion zlotys ($760 million) to strengthen cybersecurity, the country's Digital Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday. His statement came after state news agency PAP was hit by what Polish officials said was a possible Russian cyber attack, Reuters reports.
With Poland holding European Parliament elections on Sunday, authorities are on high alert. to Moscow's attempts to interfere in the voting process. Concerns intensified on Friday when a falsified article about military mobilization appeared on the PAP website.
Official Warsaw has repeatedly accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the situation in Poland due to its role in providing military assistance to Ukraine.
"We want to allocate more than 3 billion zlotys for the "Cybershield"", – Gavkovsky said at a press conference. – Today Poland is at the forefront of the cyber fight against Russia. Poland accounts for the most (cyber) attacks.
Gawkowski said that Poland blocked several cyber attacks on critical infrastructure on Sunday and Monday.
"The Russian Federation has one goal – destabilize the situation and contribute to the forces that seek to undermine the EU"– he said.
The Polish leadership sees a connection between Russia and cases of sabotage and arson on Polish territory. Polish authorities say that Russian intelligence services are actively trying to collect information about arms supplies to Ukraine.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga