Visitors to the Polish Press Agency (PAP) website on May 31 at 2 p.m. Polish time were met with an unusual message. Instead of the typical daily news, the state-run newspaper had supposedly published a story announcing that a partial mobilization, which means calling up specific people to serve in the armed forces, was ordered by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk beginning on July 1, 2024.
Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski refuted the claim on X (formerly Twitter). His post read: “The message [from] @PAPinformacje regarding partial mobilization is false. We have started urgently investigating the matter. Everything points to a cyberattack and planned disinformation! I will keep you updated on further arrangements.”
After this cyberattack, Poland announced that it is increasing its cybersecurity spending to almost $760 million to improve digital security.