WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused a cryptocurrency company with alleged Russian ties of financially backing Polish politicians and supporting nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki through political events.
During Friday’s parliamentary session, Tusk made these allegations before lawmakers voted to override Nawrocki’s rejection of proposed cryptocurrency market regulations. The presidential candidate has blocked two separate government attempts to regulate the crypto industry over the past six months.
According to Tusk, the resistance to regulatory measures by certain Polish officials suggests they are working on behalf of Zondacrypto, a company that previously provided them financial backing and maintains connections to Russia.
“The source of this company’s financial success is not only Russian money linked to the so-called Bratva, one of the most important mafia groups in Russia, but also to Russian secret services,” Tusk stated during his parliamentary address.
Tusk further alleged that Zondacrypto simultaneously “sponsors political and social events in Poland and promotes very specific political forces,” including funding politicians from the previously ruling Law and Justice party and the far-right Confederation.
The Prime Minister also revealed that Zondacrypto served as a major sponsor for a Conservative Political Action Conference gathering held in Rzeszow, eastern Poland, during March 2025. This event occurred just five days prior to Poland’s presidential election, which featured a close race between Tusk’s liberal coalition candidate and Nawrocki, who had Law and Justice backing.
At that conference, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized the liberal candidate as “an absolute train wreck of a leader” while praising Nawrocki, who attended the event, as someone who would govern Poland with a Trump-like approach.
“We need you to elect the right leader,” stated Noem, a notable Trump supporter, during her conference speech. “You will be the leaders that will turn Europe back to conservative values.”
Tusk also asserted that Nawrocki possessed complete knowledge about Zondacrypto’s background when he decided to veto the cryptocurrency regulations.
Responding to these allegations, Zbigniew Bogucki, who heads the president’s office, clarified that Nawrocki supports cryptocurrency market regulation but opposes the government’s proposed “flawed regulatory model.”
Confederation leader Slawomir Menzen defended the veto, arguing the proposed legislation would have “destroyed the Polish cryptocurrency market.”
Government officials maintain that the new regulatory framework aims to align Poland with European Union cryptocurrency standards.
