Russia launches major disinformation op targeting Poland’s election — HUR

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.