Poland has announced the discovery of what appears to be an attempt to interfere in its upcoming presidential election campaign through advertisements on Facebook, potentially financed from abroad, on Wednesday.
The first round of the election is scheduled for Sunday, featuring a contest between Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a leading figure in the Civic Platform party, historian Karol Nawrocki, head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, and far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen.
“The NASK Disinformation Analysis Center has identified political ads on the Facebook platform that may be financed from abroad. The materials were displayed in Poland,” NASK, the national research institute responsible for cybersecurity, said in a statement.
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“The advertising accounts involved in the campaign spent more on political materials in the last 7 days than any election committee.”
NASK did not specify the potential country of origin for the financing.
Poland has previously stated that its role as a key hub for aid to Ukraine makes it a significant target for Russian espionage, sabotage, and cyberattacks.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has denied previous accusations of interfering in foreign elections