Polish authorities are set to press charges against two Ukrainians for alleged sabotage with a terrorist intent on behalf of Russia in connection with an explosion that caused damage to a train track used for shipments to Ukraine, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The suspects reportedly fled to Belarus immediately after carrying out the attack on a railway line connecting Warsaw to the Ukrainian border. Polish officials claim that the two individuals had been working closely with Russian secret services for an extended period.
Several individuals have been taken into custody in relation to the railway blast, but further specifics were not disclosed by prosecutors. Prime Minister Donald Tusk labeled the explosion as an unprecedented act of sabotage, while Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described it as an act of state terror.
The explosion, which took place near Mika, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Warsaw, resulted in track damage, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. In a separate incident over the weekend, power lines were destroyed in the Puławy area, about 50 kilometers from Lublin in eastern Poland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed suspicions of a Russian connection to the sabotage and emphasized that only Russians would benefit from such actions. He pledged Ukraine’s cooperation with Poland and the establishment of a joint Polish-Ukrainian working group to counter Russian sabotage.
Western authorities have accused Russia and its allies of orchestrating numerous attacks and incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. The alleged objective, according to Western officials, is to destabilize support for Ukraine, sow fear, and create divisions within European societies.
In response to the recent events, the Polish government announced plans to deploy up to 10,000 soldiers to assist the police in safeguarding critical infrastructure nationwide. Sikorski also declared the imminent closure of the last remaining Russian consulate in Gdansk as a retaliatory measure.
The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that it would reciprocate by scaling back Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed regret over the deteriorating relations with Poland, emphasizing the Polish authorities’ apparent intention to sever diplomatic ties entirely.
