Russia seeks Poles to influence elections, digital affairs minister says
Russian special services have started looking for Poles willing to get involved in activities influencing the upcoming presidential elections, the Polish minister of digital affairs has said.
Krzysztof Gawkowski, who is also a deputy prime minister, told the private radio RMF FM on Saturday that "big money" was involved in the Russian operation.
"Russian services have started looking for Poles in Poland who would be ready to get involved in work for foreign intelligence which would influence the elections," Gawkowski said, adding that offers of cooperation had already been published on the secretive part of the internet known as the darknet.
"Espionage is severely punished in Poland and even a minor relation with Russian services is de facto espionage," he said.
"I would like to warn everyone, because such a situation has never taken place before," Gawkowski added.
The minister said that by the end of January he will present a comprehensive initiative to prevent unfair influence on the May 18 presidential election in Poland.
"All (parliamentary - PAP) caucuses and all parties that put forward presidential candidates will be invited," he said. "There should be full transparency. No censorship, full responsibility and first of all countering Russian influences, because today Russians want to influence Polish elections."
Gawkowski said Poland was cooperating with US security agencies and that probably reports on the scale of the Russian operation will be presented by the end of January. (PAP)
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