FILE PHOTO: The row of masts with Polish national flags is seen in Bemowo Piskie near Orzysz, Poland
Poland neutralises sabotage group linked to Belarus and Russia
Reuters: WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish security services have neutralised a sabotage operation orchestrated by Russia and Belarus that aimed to destabilise Poland, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday.
Warsaw has repeatedly accused Moscow of attempting to destabilise Poland because of its role in supplying military aid to its neighbour Ukraine, allegations Russia has dismissed.
Saboteurs, operating from Belarus in cooperation with Russia, penetrated local and central government institutions, including state-owned companies implementing military contracts, he said.
"The Belarusian and Russian foreign services... had a specific goal - to extort information, to blackmail individuals and institutions and to wage a de facto cyberwar," said Gawkowski, who is also minister for digital affairs.
He said the operational goal, to steal data for blackmail purposes, had been thwarted.
Gawkowski says cyberattacks have doubled since last year, targeting Polish organisations and institutions, including logistics companies that run military deliveries to Ukraine.
"In cyberspace, dangers come every hour, every minute. It often happens that there are over a thousand incidents in a day," said Gawkowski, who in June said Poland had blocked several cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure.
Poland has also linked Russia to incidents of sabotage and arson on its soil and says Russian secret services are actively trying to gather information on weapons deliveries to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In World
-
A new Gallup poll reveals a growing desire among Americans for a swift resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has now exceeded two years in duration. Half of the respondents expressed support for ending the conflict quickly, even if it means Ukraine does not regain all its lost territories—a 7-point increase from March 2024. Support for rapid resolution had previously held steady at 43% since October 2023.
-
Senior U.S. diplomats met on Friday with Syria's new de facto ruler, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Damascus, holding what was described as a "good" and "very productive" meeting to discuss the country’s political transition. The U.S. delegation also announced the withdrawal of a $10 million bounty previously placed on al-Sharaa’s head.
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday suggested a missile 'duel' with the United States that would show how Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could defeat any U.S. missile defence system.
-
The United States said on Wednesday it was imposing new sanctions related to nuclear-armed Pakistan's long-range ballistic-missile program, including on the state-owned defense agency that oversees the program.
Leave a review