Russia launches major disinformation op targeting Poland’s election — HUR
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Russia has intensified a large-scale information operation
aimed at disrupting Poland’s presidential election, Ukraine’s military
intelligence said on May 18.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s
Defense Ministry (HUR), the Kremlin has activated a new phase of its ongoing
information war against European societies in the run-up to Poland’s
presidential vote.
“The Kremlin’s main tool is a special operation known as
Doppelganger. It is one of Russia’s largest and longest-running information
campaigns, targeting EU and NATO countries,” the HUR said in a statement.
Russian intelligence services have created fake websites and
social media pages that closely mimic the design and content of legitimate
Western media outlets. These platforms are used to spread Russian
disinformation under the guise of news reporting.
“To influence Polish voters, since March this year Russian
intelligence has been spreading false and manipulative messages, especially on
the social network X, with heavy use of bot farms and fake accounts posing as
real voters,” Ukrainian intelligence reported.
The core messages pushed by the Kremlin include calls for
Poland to leave the European Union, efforts to discredit the government of
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and criticism of Polish support for Ukraine. At the
same time, pro-Russian media outlets have painted Ukraine as the main source of
“chaos” in Polish politics, deliberately cultivating a negative image of the
country.
HUR emphasized that these actions are part of a broader
Kremlin strategy of hybrid pressure against NATO and EU members — an effort to
fracture their internal unity.
Poland is holding the first round of its presidential
election on May 18.
According to the latest pre-election poll, conducted by
United Surveys for Wirtualna Polska between May 13 and 15, incumbent Rafał
Trzaskowski leads the race with 31.5% support, followed by Karol Nawrocki with
26.6%. In third place is Sławomir Mentzen, polling at 11.7%.
Earlier, Polish Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski warned that Poland is facing an unprecedented Russian attempt to interfere in the election.
He said the country’s role as a key logistical hub for military aid to Ukraine has made it a prime target for Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns.
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