Sabotage of railway network/ Poland accuses Russia of "state terrorism"

2025-11-21 08:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Sabotage of railway network/ Poland accuses Russia of "state

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski made no secret of the seriousness of the situation following the sabotage on the Polish railway network. "It was not an act of sabotage as before, but state terrorism, because its clear aim was to cause human casualties," Sikorski told parliament in Warsaw on Wednesday.

"A foreign country sent well-prepared people, who only fortunately for us did not achieve their goal," the Polish Foreign Minister added, accusing the Russian military intelligence service GRU of employing people for "dirty work." He then told reporters that the Russian consulate in Gdansk, the last remaining Russian consular post in Poland, would be closed.

Tusk: The most serious incident since the attack on Ukraine

A day earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident "perhaps the most serious blow to the country's security since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine." He stressed that this "has crossed a certain line."

All railway lines in Poland are now at the second highest level of alert - Charlie. The regulations stipulate 24-hour security at important railway facilities, as well as arming guards with live ammunition. The strict security measures are expected to be in place until the end of February.

It took Polish security forces just 70 hours to identify the suspects in both acts of sabotage. On Sunday morning, a train driver on the Warsaw-Lublin line stopped the train near Mika due to serious damage to the tracks and notified the management of Polish State Railways (PKP). A little later, another damaged spot was discovered near Pulawy on this strategically important railway route leading from the Polish capital to the Ukrainian border.

Two Ukrainians in the service of Russia

The suspects are two Ukrainian citizens who have been cooperating with Russian intelligence for a long time. Their identities are known. One was convicted in Lviv, Ukraine, in May for sabotage, while the other comes from Donbass in eastern Ukraine. The two entered Poland from Belarus together in the fall. After the attack, they are suspected of leaving Poland via the Terespol border crossing and returning to Belarus, Tusk said.

As the Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported on Tuesday, investigators found fingerprints of one of the attackers and a SIM card from his phone at the scene. The phone is suspected to have been used to record the explosion. It is also said that intelligence services from friendly countries helped in the investigation.

The investigation shows that three explosive devices were placed near the town of Mika, of which only two exploded on Saturday evening. They were activated with the help of a 300-meter-long cable. The explosive force turned out to be too weak to destroy the freight train that was targeted. The train driver did not even notice the explosion. However, the condition of that section of track deteriorated with each passing train, until it became dangerous on Sunday.

In Pulawy, a steel clamp was installed that was supposed to cause the train to derail, but it proved ineffective. In addition, the contact network was also damaged. The passenger train had to slow down, but no one was injured.

Poland as a target

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has been the target of sabotage on several occasions. The Polish government has stood by Ukraine from the beginning, sending weapons and providing humanitarian aid. More than a million Ukrainians have found refuge in the neighboring country.

In Parliament, Tusk recalled that in January 2024, a paint factory burned down in Wroc?aw. A shopping mall burned down in Warsaw. A total of 55 people were arrested on suspicion of arson, 23 of whom are in custody. Recently, eight people have also been arrested on suspicion of espionage at strategic facilities. "This is a treacherous game of the Russian intelligence services, which are managing these campaigns," said the deputy speaker of the Parliament, Piotr Zgorzhelski, to TVN.

An online hate campaign against Ukraine

Tusk also warned about Russian disinformation. The Russian leadership is concerned not only about the immediate consequences of such actions, but also about the social and political ones.

"This means: disintegration, chaos, panic, speculation, uncertainty." Hiring Ukrainians to carry out sabotage is also intended to stoke anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland. Polls show that support for Ukraine among Poles has been declining for some time.

Sikorski announced that Poland would ask Belarus to extradite the suspects, although the chances are slim. He also said that Poland does not plan to sever diplomatic relations with Russia. However, Russian diplomats will have to seek permission from Polish authorities to travel outside the Warsaw area. Sikorski will recommend to Poland's allies to prohibit Russian diplomats from moving freely through the Schengen area.

The Kremlin rejected Tusk's accusations. "Russia is accused of all forms of hybrid and direct warfare," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television. In his opinion, it would be strange if Russia were not immediately accused this time as well. Poland is always the first to do so. "In this regard, Russophobia is flourishing there," Peskov said. /DW