The Russian social engineering attack on the President of the Republic of Poland as a manifestation of modern soft power

The tools of exerting soft power constitute an effective instrument of information warfare conducted by intelligence services of many countries. The Russian disinformation machine, as well as other methods it uses in information warfare, seem to be effective in destabilising other countries' security and defence systems. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to bring to the attention the social engineering attack on the President of the Republic of Poland that took place either immediately after or at the final stage of the election in Poland. Method: The article was designed using the problem-based method with elements of comparative analysis. The research part was carried out using the method of critical analysis of academic literature on the topic of using soft power for achieving political goals. Results: The article presents an analysis of a recent attack by Russian pranksters on the President of Poland. It has been shown that this incident should be viewed as a dangerous manifestation of the information game played by Russia. Information about the attack was provided by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The analysis of the content of the President's conversation with the pranksters posted on Russian portals prove the existence of a real information warfare against the security of the Polish state, aimed at destabilisation of the defence system of our country. The call made by the Russian pranksters fits into the Russian strategy of exerting soft power. Conclusions: The action taken by the Russian pranksters can certainly be regarded as an example of information warfare aimed at weakening the state security system and its defence capabilities. The provocative conversation between the Russian pranksters and the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, was criticised by mass media, which accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President's Chancellery of neglect in terms of ensuring the safety of the Polish head of state. Such accusations against those responsible for the president's safety seem to be justified.