A senior Polish government official accused Russia on Tuesday of trying to recruit Poles on the dark web to try to influence the Polish presidential election campaign, Reuters reports.
The European Union and NATO member has previously warned of the danger of Russian interference in the mid-May elections, but Moscow has repeatedly denied interfering in foreign elections.
Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Russia was looking for Polish citizens willing to influence the campaign from within the country, offering them 3,000-4,000 euros to spread content containing disinformation.
Gawkowski said the recruitment was being carried out through the dark web, a part of the internet accessible only through a specialized web browser. Poland has been monitoring such attempts since the beginning of the year, he said.
"This is money directed by the Russian GRU and FSB services, which are looking for distributors of their content here," Gavkowski told Reuters, referring to Russia's military intelligence and its Federal Security Service.
Moscow did not immediately comment on his comments.
Warsaw says its role as a supply hub for Ukraine has made it a target for spies working for Russia and its ally Belarus, including for sabotage. Minsk and Moscow have denied accusations that they were behind acts of sabotage.
In December, NATO and European Union member Romania annulled a presidential election after accusations of Russian interference, which Moscow denied.