Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said an explosion on a section of railway line used for deliveries to Ukraine was an “unprecedented act of sabotage”.
A Polish security source told The Associated Press that authorities are investigating whether the blast on Sunday on the line linking Warsaw to southeastern Poland is connected to Russia, Belarus or their proxies.
Tusk has vowed that Poland will catch the perpetrators, “whoever they are”.
While visiting the site Monday, the prime minister said the incident had taken place on a line that is vital for delivering aid to Ukraine. Polish officials said they were sure an explosive device had been detonated on a section of track between Warsaw and Lublin and later discovered damage to overhead cables on the same line. Both were likely sabotage, Polish officials said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance is in close contact with Polish officials and is awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by the AP. Moscow’s goal, Western officials say, is to undermine support for Ukraine, spark fear and divide European societies.
The likelihood that the two incidents on the railway line happened “on the order of foreign services” was “very high” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s security services minister.
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including weather warnings back in force, a spate of suspicious fires in Dunedin, and the stoush over vegemite in prison. (Source: 1News)
Investigators probing the two cases of suspected sabotage are investigating whether they were deliberate acts by a hostile state, said the Polish security source speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
“The perpetrators demonstrated high professionalism and expert training”, they said.
A train driver on the line between the capital, Warsaw and Lublin in southeastern Poland reported problems with the track around 7.40am on Sunday (local time). Further inspection determined there was damage to a section of track near the village of Mika, about 100km southeast of Warsaw, officials said.
“We can say beyond any doubt that an explosive device was detonated, damaging the railway tracks,” Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the explosion and damage occurred late Saturday or early Sunday. Two passengers and several staff members were on the train, but no injuries were reported, officials said.
Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Monday that the army plans to examine 120km of the Warsaw-Lublin-Hrubieszów line, which links the capital to Ukraine by rail and road.
Another train on the Świnoujście-Rzeszów route that travels along the same line was forced to stop Sunday night at Puławy, about 50km from Lublin after the overhead electrical cables were damaged, Kierwiński said Monday. Around 60m of power lines were damaged, he said. Puławy is situated between Mika and Lublin on the same train line linking Warsaw to the Ukrainian border.
At the time the train stopped, there were 475 passengers on board but no injuries were reported despite the damaged power lines breaking several of the train’s windows.
Speaking with Rutte at a press conference in Brussels following the announcement from Poland, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said European nations need to keep “cool heads”.
He warned about overreacting to incidents of alleged Russian disruption, warning that, “this is unfortunately the new normal. What Russia is trying to do is to destabilise our societies through information and other campaigns”.
In an interview with Saturday at a Finnish military base, Stubb said Moscow is conducting “two types of warfare” — a kinetic war in Ukraine and a hybrid war in Europe.
“The line between war and peace has been blurred,” Stubb said.
