WARSAW (Reuters) – A senior member of the Polish government accused Russia on Tuesday of attempting to recruit Poles on the dark net to try to influence Poland’s presidential election campaign.
The European Union and NATO member state has warned before of the danger of Russian interference in the mid-May election but Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in foreign elections.
Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Russia was looking for Polish citizens willing to influence the campaign from inside the country, offering them 3,000-4,000 euros ($3,130-$4,170) to spread content containing disinformation.
Gawkowski said recruitment was being done via the dark net, a part of the internet accessible only using a specialised web browser. Poland has been observing such attempts since the start of the year, he said.
“This is money directed from the Russian services GRU and FSB, which are looking for such patrons of their content here,” Gawkowski told Reuters, referring to Russia’s military intelligence and its Federal Security Service.
Moscow did not immediately comment on his remarks.
Poland said this month it had identified a Russian group tasked with influencing Polish elections through disinformation and stoking instability.
Warsaw says its role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s invasion had made it a target for spies working for Russia and its ally Belarus, as well as for acts of sabotage. Minsk and Moscow have dismissed accusations that they are behind acts of sabotage.
In December, fellow NATO and European Union member Romania annulled a presidential election after accusations of Russian meddling, which Moscow denied.
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(Reporting by Barbara Erling, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
