Polish authorities have identified two suspects in connection with damage to railway tracks that investigators classified as acts of sabotage. The suspects are Ukrainian nationals who, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, were most likely carrying out a task assigned by Russian intelligence services.
Earlier, Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the coordinator of Poland’s security services, told the BBC that “all indications suggest” that the organizers of last weekend’s railway explosion in Poland were Russian intelligence operatives.
According to Tusk, the suspects have already left Poland, fleeing to Belarus. Their names have not been disclosed, but it is claimed that one of them had previously been convicted in Ukraine — also for sabotage.
Dobrzyński said that one possible objective of the sabotage — in which no one was harmed — may have been to observe the reaction of Polish authorities and security services to the explosion. He warned against spreading unverified information that could be “typical Russian disinformation.” He did not specify what evidence points to Russia’s involvement.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that “Russia is being blamed for every manifestation of the hybrid and direct war that is taking place.” “It would be very strange if Russia were not blamed first,” Peskov said, as quoted by Interfax.
Poland’s Minister for Special Services Marcin Kierwiński said the previous day that there was a “very high likelihood” that the explosion had been carried out on orders from “foreign services,” though he did not name Russia specifically.
The day before, Prime Minister Tusk stated that the explosion on the railway line from Warsaw to Lublin and onward to the Ukrainian border was caused by “an unprecedented act of sabotage,” and pledged to find the perpetrators “regardless of who is responsible.” Tusk also said that the track damage, which occurred on 16 November, was deliberate and could have led to a derailment and casualties. He described the incident as the most serious threat to Poland since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Authorities revealed that damage on the Warsaw–Lublin line was found in two locations. Near the town of Miki, an explosive device destroyed a section of the tracks. The damage was noticed by a train driver, who reported it to the Mazovian police. Police said that the train was carrying two passengers and several workers. None of them was injured.
In addition, on the same line near Puławy, electrical traction equipment was damaged and an obstacle was placed on the tracks.
In recent years, Poland has faced a series of serious arson attacks and acts of sabotage that investigators and government officials have blamed on Russian intelligence services. These incidents are viewed in Warsaw as part of Moscow’s so-called hybrid war against the West.
In July, Polish authorities detained 32 people suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence to carry out sabotage on Polish territory. The group included citizens of Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Colombia. According to Poland’s Internal Security Agency, the crimes were committed or planned under the direction of Russian intelligence officers.
Russia denies any involvement in sabotage operations on Polish soil. The Russian Foreign Ministry calls Warsaw’s accusations unsubstantiated and aimed at escalating tensions between the two countries.
