Poland says cyberattacks on energy infrastructure likely linked to Russia

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that cyberattacks carried out in late December targeted the country’s energy infrastructure and were most likely prepared with the involvement of groups linked to Russian special services, although no conclusive evidence has been established.

Speaking on the matter, Tusk said Poland had successfully defended itself against attempts to destabilise the country. He stressed that critical infrastructure was never at risk and that there was no threat of a nationwide blackout, Caliber.Az reports via Polish media. 

According to the prime minister, the attacks targeted individual facilities, including two thermal power plants, and were aimed at systems managing electricity generated from renewable energy sources. He said the government treated the incident as extremely serious, noting that a successful attack could have left around half a million people without heating.

Tusk emphasised that such warning signs could not be ignored.

While he said there was no hard proof directly linking the attacks to Russia, he added that there were numerous indications pointing to the involvement of groups connected to Russian special services, and that the authorities had little doubt about the source of the inspiration behind the attacks.

By Sabina Mammadli