Army educates Poles on defending against Russian cyber threats

Cybersecurity was a key focus of the two-day Impact conference, which concluded on Thursday in the western Polish city of Poznań.

Gen. Karol Molenda, commander of Poland's Cyber Defence Forces.

Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

At the event, Poland's Cyberspace Defence Forces set up a special stand to educate the public on how to protect themselves against cyber threats.

According to a recent report by Poland’s NASK cybersecurity research institute, the military responded to over 4,000 serious cyber incidents last year alone.

Świat wokół nas nieustannie się zmienia. Dlatego, jeżeli chcemy rozwijać nasze umiejętności w zakresie cyberbezpieczeństwa, musimy aktywnie uczestniczyć w tych zmianach, rozumieć trendy i czynniki, które będą determinowały nasze działania w przyszłości i za nimi podążać. Na tym… pic.twitter.com/duGoelP0c3

— Wojska Obrony Cyberprzestrzeni (@CyberWojska) May 13, 2025

"When it comes to cyberspace operations, we’re clearly in a state of conflict," General Karol Molenda told public broadcaster Polish Radio.

"I wouldn’t call it war just yet, because many experts agree that war begins when cyberattacks result in physical damage, injuries or loss of life," he added.

Czy bezpieczeństwo narodowe nadąża za rozwojem AI? To pytanie wybrzmiało wyjątkowo mocno podczas dzisiejszego panelu na konferencji @ImpactCEE, który miałem okazję moderować. W rozmowie towarzyszyli mi Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer oraz gen. Chad Raduege.

Wspólnie z moimi… pic.twitter.com/pxQNTXQV02

— Karol Molenda (@MolendaKarol) May 15, 2025

Last month, Digitisation Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Poland was defending itself against a cyberwar waged by Russia.

He claimed the country faced around 70,000 cyberattacks per month and accused Moscow of intensifying its digital offensive ahead of Poland's upcoming presidential election.

Michał Owczarek has the story.

Click on the audio player above to listen.