Russia Hacked the Polish Electricity Grid. Now What?

Stymied Attack Leaves Poland No Good Options in Responding to Provocation Shaun Waterman • February 6, 2026

Poland's online defenses stopped a Russian cyberattack against the energy grid, but now the Warsaw government is in a bind about how to respond to a digital assault that was a lot more than a crime, but a sliver less than an act of war.

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Former U.S. Cyber Command and NSA officials tell Information Security Media Group the late December cyberattack crossed important legal and strategic lines. It was carried out directly by a Russian intelligence agency. It destroyed civilian infrastructure. If successful, it would have left a half million Poles without heating in the depths of winter, making injuries or even deaths very likely.

But the fact the attack failed, differing public attributions, and a long ...