Poland says Russian intelligence ordered railway sabotage

Poland says Russian intelligence services ordered a pair of sabotage attempts on a major railway line south of Warsaw, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The findings were announced on Tuesday, when Tusk said investigators determined that Russia’s secret services recruited two Ukrainian nationals to carry out the attacks. The suspects immediately fled Poland into Belarus through the Terespol border crossing.

Tuesday’s update follows an incident reported on Sunday, when railway workers discovered damage near the village of Mika after a conductor noticed irregularities on the tracks. At the time, Tusk said sabotage could not be ruled out and ordered a full investigation.

The first attempt involved placing a steel clamp on the tracks in an effort to derail a train. Tusk said the device was intended to be filmed using a mobile phone connected to a power bank left on the line. “Fortunately, the attempt proved completely ineffective,” he said.

The second incident involved a military-grade C4 explosive, according to Tusk. Investigators said the blast was triggered through an electrical cable connected to an initiating device. Additional explosive material that failed to detonate was recovered at the site.

The explosive device went off beneath a freight train traveling between Warsaw and Puławy, causing minor damage to the wagon floor. “The driver didn’t even notice the incident while passing through,” Tusk said.

Tusk told lawmakers that both suspected operatives entered Poland from Belarus this fall. One was previously convicted by a court in Lviv, Ukraine, for sabotage, while the other is from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

According to TVN24, Tusk signed an order on Tuesday evening raising security measures to the third alert level, known as CHARLIE, for all railway lines managed by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe and PKP Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa.

The Warsaw–Lublin line is considered strategically important for both civilian traffic and the delivery of aid to Ukraine. Polish officials said the investigation remains active.