Poland's Tusk says Russian hackers attacked party websites ahead of presidential election

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Russian hackers attacked nan websites of parties successful his ruling coalition, 2 days earlier Sunday's statesmanlike election.

The frontrunner successful Sunday's predetermination is simply a high-ranking personnel of Tusk's Civic Platform party, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.

“Two days earlier nan elections, a group of Russian hackers progressive connected Telegram person attacked nan Civic Platform net sites,” Tusk wrote connected X connected Friday afternoon.

Tusk said that nan websites of different parties successful his governing coalition, nan Left and nan Polish People's Party (PSL), were besides targeted. “Our services are conducting intensive operations. The onslaught is still on,” he said.

Polish authorities were besides investigating paid governmental advertisements connected Facebook that a Polish authorities investigation institute, NASK, identified arsenic imaginable electoral interference. NASK is nan Polish acronym for National Research and Academic Computer Network.

The institute said that it reported nan misinformation to Meta, which owns Facebook, and that nan ads were removed.

It comes arsenic statesmanlike candidates held their last rallies connected Friday, arsenic voters will formed ballots to switch blimpish incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose 2nd and last five-year word ends successful August.

With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round triumph is unlikely, and a runoff connected 1 June is wide expected.

Polls constituent to a apt showdown betwixt Rafał Trzaskowski, nan wide politician of Warsaw, and Karol Nawrocki, a blimpish historiographer backed by nan Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.

An important predetermination for a federation astatine nan beforehand line

Trzaskowski told a rally crowd Poland needs a president “who is credible”.

"Of course, strengthening our security, 5 per cent of GDP for defense, because we person to beryllium safe. We person to walk much money connected our security, fortify our eastbound separator and put successful our Polish defense industry. We person to do it together,” he added.

Trzaskowski's main opponent, Nawrocki, represents really nan statement backing him, Law and Justice, is turning further to nan correct arsenic support for nan difficult correct grows.

"I will build our world relations and those pinch nan United States and make Poland nan leader of nan European Union successful transatlantic relations,” Nawrocki told nan crowd.

One of nan caller president’s astir important tasks will beryllium maintaining beardown ties pinch nan US, wide seen arsenic basal to nan endurance of a state successful an progressively volatile neighbourhood.

Poland’s surface science gives nan predetermination added importance. Bordering Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Belarus and war-torn Ukraine — arsenic good arsenic respective Western friends — Poland occupies a captious position on NATO’s eastbound flank and serves arsenic a cardinal logistics hub for subject assistance to Ukraine.

While Poland is simply a parliamentary democracy, nan presidency wields important influence. The president serves arsenic commander-in-chief of nan equipped forces, holds veto power, shapes overseas argumentation and plays a symbolic domiciled successful nationalist discourse.