Two Ukrainian individuals employed by Russia are suspected of causing an explosion on a railway line in Poland, as announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday. Tusk revealed during a session at the Sejm, the Polish parliament’s lower house, that the two suspects had been collaborating with Russian secret services for an extended period. While their identities are known, they cannot be disclosed to the public due to ongoing investigations. The suspects have already departed from Poland.
Describing the incident as an “unprecedented act of sabotage,” Tusk highlighted the explosion on a rail line connecting Warsaw, the capital of Poland, to the Ukrainian border. Additionally, authorities in Poland have confirmed a separate incident of sabotage, involving damage to power lines on another section of the same rail line further south.
In response to allegations from Polish officials implicating two Ukrainian nationals working for Russia in the railway sabotage, Russia’s presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that it would be unsurprising for Russia to be initially blamed. Peskov criticized the accusations of “hybrid and direct warfare” against Russia, labeling it as Russophobia.
According to data compiled by The Associated Press, Western officials have accused Russia and its allies of orchestrating numerous attacks and incidents across Europe since the Ukraine invasion over three years ago. The purported goal of Moscow, as per Western officials, is to destabilize support for Ukraine, instill fear, and sow division within European societies.
A meeting of the National Security Committee, involving military leaders, intelligence heads, and a presidential representative, was held earlier on Tuesday. The defense minister announced the deployment of army patrols to ensure the security of railways and other critical infrastructure in the eastern region of the country.
Polish prosecutors have launched an investigation into the “acts of sabotage of a terrorist nature” directed at railway infrastructure and allegedly carried out for the benefit of foreign intelligence. Prosecutors emphasized that these actions posed an immediate threat of a potential disaster in land traffic, endangering lives, health, and extensive property.
The first incident involved an explosion damaging the railway tracks near Mika village, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Warsaw. In a separate event, power lines were sabotaged in the Puławy area, around 50 kilometers from Lublin. Trains carrying passengers were halted at both sites, but fortunately, there were no injuries reported.
Prime Minister Tusk mentioned on Monday that the explosion near Mika was likely intended to target the train. Subsequent to the incidents, repairs have been completed at both affected locations.