Two Ukrainian Citizens Identified in Russian Secret Service-Commissioned Polish Railway Blast

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Tuesday that an investigation into a recent railway blast in Poland revealed the Russian Secret Services commissioned the attack, recruiting two Ukrainian citizens to carry it out. The incident, which Tusk described as an "unprecedented act of sabotage," occurred over the weekend on a critical rail line used for aid deliveries to Ukraine. The identified perpetrators immediately fled Poland for Belarus following the blast, as stated by the Prime Minister.

The explosion on November 15 damaged tracks near Mika, southeast of Warsaw, on the Warsaw-Lublin line, while another incident near Pulawy on November 17 involved damaged overhead cables, forcing a passenger train to halt. Prime Minister Tusk stated that a military-grade C4 explosive device was detonated, causing minor damage to a freight train. These railway lines are vital for transporting humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.

Tusk confirmed that the two Ukrainian suspects had been collaborating with Russian intelligence services for a considerable period. One of the individuals had a prior conviction for sabotage in Ukraine, and the other originated from the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Their identities are known to Polish authorities but have not been publicly disclosed due to ongoing investigations.

Polish prosecutors have launched an inquiry into "acts of sabotage of a terrorist nature" directed against railway infrastructure and committed for the benefit of foreign intelligence. Authorities have increased security measures, deploying army patrols to inspect railways and other key infrastructure in eastern Poland, and raising the alert level on certain railway lines. The goal of these actions, Tusk suggested, was to sow panic and stir anti-Ukrainian sentiment within Polish society.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations, stating it would be "strange if Russia wasn't blamed first" and citing rampant "Russophobia" in Poland. This incident follows a series of alleged sabotage attempts and cyber-attacks in Poland and across Europe, which Polish authorities frequently attribute to Russian security services. Poland has detained 55 individuals in relation to such offenses since the beginning of 2024.