A fresh crypto controversy has flared up in Poland, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk accusing a crypto firm he says was formed with \u201cRussian money\u201d of backing political rivals and conservative events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tusk made the remarks in the Polish parliament on Friday, as lawmakers prepared to vote on whether to overturn a veto by Karol Nawrocki, the presidential candidate whose leadership has become central to the dispute over new crypto regulations.<\/p>\n
The issue traces back to Nawrocki\u2019s rejection of two separate attempts by the liberal government to regulate the Polish crypto market over the last six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According <\/a>to AP, Tusk spoke ahead of the parliamentary vote to override Nawrocki\u2019s decision. In his speech, Tusk argued that the repeated blocking of regulations pointed to the interests of a particular company, Zondacrypto, which he said has provided financial support and maintains links to Russia.<\/p>\n Tusk\u2019s allegations went beyond general claims of foreign influence. He told lawmakers that the funding behind Zondacrypto\u2019s success comes from Russian money tied to the \u201cBratva,\u201d described by Tusk as one of Russia\u2019s most important mafia groups, as well as from Russian secret services.\u00a0<\/p>\n He further said Zondacrypto not only supports events in Poland but also \u201cpromotes very specific political forces.\u201d In his account, the company has helped finance politicians from the Law and Justice party, Poland\u2019s former national-conservative governing group<\/a>, along with figures from the far-right Confederation.<\/p>\n The prime minister also claimed that the crypto firm served as a strategic sponsor of a major Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event held in Poland.\u00a0<\/p>\n That meeting took place in Rzesz\u00f3w in March 2025, AP reported, just five days before the presidential election that delivered a tight race between a candidate associated with Tusk\u2019s political camp and Nawrocki.<\/p>\nGovernment Defends Crypto Rules<\/h2>\n