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A major Polish railway line has been damaged by an explosive device in what Prime Minister Donald Tusk described as an “unprecedented act of sabotage”.
Tusk did not identify who was responsible, but said on Monday that “the worst fears have been confirmed”, after investigators discovered the device along a rail track that was damaged on Sunday.
Warsaw had previously accused Russia of sabotage due to Poland’s role as a backer of Kyiv and logistics hub for western weapons being shipped to Ukraine.
“The blowing up of the railway track on the Warsaw-Lublin route is an unprecedented act of sabotage aimed at the security of the Polish state and its citizens,” Tusk wrote on X on Monday. “As in previous cases of this type, we will catch the perpetrators, regardless of who commissioned them.”
No one was injured by the explosion. The device was discovered following an emergency stop by a passenger train on Sunday after its conductor noticed damage to the track.
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After visiting the site, Tusk said there was evidence of further damage at another point along the same line, which connects Warsaw with the eastern city of Lublin.
Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Polish authorities have charged dozens of individuals with espionage or sabotage and accused Russia of orchestrating arson attacks and other incidents. Some of the alleged plots have targeted Poland’s transport infrastructure.
European leaders have also linked Russia to a series of hybrid threats seen across the continent in recent months — from sabotage of Baltic Sea internet and electricity cables to airspace violations.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in those cases.
Polish investigators last month opened an investigation after a 20-tonne coal wagon was found detached from its train on a busy line in Katowice, in southern Poland. Other countries have also reported rail sabotage, with the Czech transport minister warning last year that Russia had made “thousands” of attempts to interfere with European rail networks.
Warsaw has accused Moscow of waging a hybrid war that includes cyber attacks, disinformation and espionage.
Polish security services last month said they had detained eight more people accused of working for Russia, including some allegedly monitoring military facilities. The interior ministry said that a total of 55 people had recently been arrested for illegal activities on Russia’s behalf.
Polish authorities earlier this year said they detected an attempt to disrupt the water supply to a major Polish city by hacking its IT systems.
Over the past year, Poland has also ordered the closure of two Russian consulates and expelled several Russian and Belarusian diplomats accused of aiding sabotage plots.
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