Poland expresses solidarity with Germany over Russian cyberattacks

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has expressed support for Germany, which has summoned Russia’s ambassador over Moscow’s alleged involvement in a large-scale disinformation campaign and cyberattacks ahead of federal parliamentary elections.

Writing on the social media platform X, Sikorski said Poland is well aware of what Russian hybrid attacks look like and stressed: “We stand in solidarity with Germany and remain united with our allies in countering Russian threats.”

On December 12, Russia’s ambassador Sergey Nechayev was summoned to Germany’s Foreign Ministry in connection with a cyberattack and a disinformation campaign for which Berlin has placed responsibility on Moscow.

The case concerns a hacking attack on Germany’s air traffic control service in August 2024, as well as a disinformation campaign ahead of snap Bundestag elections, which were held in February 2025. One of the false claims circulated at the time alleged that Friedrich Merz, who later became Germany’s chancellor, had undergone treatment for mental health issues. Moscow has repeatedly rejected similar accusations made by Western countries in the past.

In addition, according to German authorities, Russia allegedly sought to “destabilise” both the most recent Bundestag elections and the country’s “current internal affairs.” As part of the disinformation campaign ahead of the February snap elections, false narratives were spread targeting the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Green Party, German officials claim.

Berlin believes the campaign was carried out by the group Storm-1516, Der Spiegel reports. According to a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, there is “reliable information” indicating that the group is linked to the Moscow-based “Centre for Geopolitical Expertise” and the “Two-Headed Eagle” movement.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said the government, in coordination with European partners, would “take a range of countermeasures to demonstrate to Russia the cost of its hybrid activities.”

Germany has repeatedly accused Russia of involvement in cyberattacks in the past. Moscow, for its part, has consistently denied such allegations.

By Tamilla Hasanova