Polish security and intelligence services anticipate that Russia and Belarus may attempt to destabilize Poland during parliamentary voting day, aiming to incite social unrest or to “shake up social emotions,” according to Stanisław Żaryn, the Government Plenipotentiary Officer for the Security of the Information Space of the Republic of Poland. The remarks came in an interview with PAP, Poland’s state news agency.
According to Żaryn, the electoral and vote-counting process in Poland is highly prepared. He cautioned that while the process itself is robust, there could be efforts to disrupt the country politically during the campaign period rather than on the day of the ballot itself. In his view, the main risk lies in attempts to destabilize the state through information operations and propaganda rather than through technical manipulation of the election results.
Żaryn stressed in his conversation with PAP that Russian and Belarusian propagandists have been increasingly referencing Poland’s elections. They push the narrative that a major political shake-up is looming and that the current government might be pressured to step down. This framing appears designed to stir public opinion and cast doubt on Poland’s political leadership.
From his perspective, there are clear indicators of efforts to portray Moscow as aiming to influence Poland’s political trajectory. In the Russian propaganda discourse, there is talk of possible normalization of Polish-Russian relations if political changes occur in Warsaw. Żaryn commented on this dynamic as part of a broader pattern of information influence targeting the Polish state.
The upcoming parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled for October 15. The electoral framework contemplates 460 deputies and 100 senators, who serve four-year terms upon those ballots. The focus, from the security and information space perspective, is on preserving public trust in the electoral process and ensuring that external influence campaigns do not degrade confidence in Poland’s democratic institutions. The authorities are monitoring the information space closely, ready to respond to any attempts to distort the political landscape or to sway voters through misleading narratives. This stance reflects a commitment to maintaining stable democratic processes amid a challenging information environment.
In the broader context, observers note that the portrayal of electoral risk and the warnings issued by Polish officials aim to deter unauthorized interference while highlighting the resilience of national institutions. Public conversations around security, media literacy, and the integrity of information flows form a cornerstone of ongoing national efforts to safeguard the political system against external meddling.
Source: wPolityce, with attribution to the official government communications channel and in reference to the statements made by Stanisław Żaryn. The content reflects ongoing coverage of Poland’s electoral security landscape and the role of information space governance during campaign periods.