Two individuals from Ukraine believed to be working for Russia are suspected of causing an explosion on a railway line in Poland, as announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday. During a session at the Sejm, the Polish lower house of parliament, Tusk disclosed that the two suspects had been in cooperation with Russian intelligence for an extended period. Although their identities are known, they cannot be disclosed to the public due to ongoing investigations, and the suspects have already left Poland.
Describing the incident on a rail line connecting Warsaw to the Ukrainian border as an “unprecedented act of sabotage,” Tusk highlighted another incident of power line damage on a different segment of the same railway route further south, which Polish authorities have now confirmed as sabotage.
Responding to Polish allegations that two Ukrainian nationals linked to Russia were responsible for the railway sabotage, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, stated that it would be unsurprising for Russia to be blamed. Peskov emphasized that Russia is commonly accused of various forms of warfare in Poland and highlighted the prevalence of Russophobia in such accusations.
Western officials have accused Russia and its allies of orchestrating numerous attacks and incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, with the goal of destabilizing support for Ukraine and sowing fear to create divisions within European societies.
In response to the situation, Polish prosecutors have launched an investigation into acts of sabotage with a terrorist intent against railway infrastructure, committed on behalf of foreign intelligence. The prosecutors indicated that these actions posed an immediate threat of a potential traffic disaster jeopardizing lives, health, and significant property.
A meeting of the National Security Committee was held earlier in the day, attended by military leaders, intelligence heads, and a presidential representative. Army patrols have been deployed to ensure the safety of railways and critical infrastructure in the eastern part of the country, according to the defense minister.
The incidents involved an explosion damaging railway tracks near Mika village, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Warsaw, and destruction of power lines in the Puławy area, around 50 kilometers from Lublin. Trains carrying passengers were halted at both locations, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. Tusk suggested that the explosion near Mika was likely intended to target a train, and repairs have since been made to the damage at both sites.
