WARSAW, Poland — In the aftermath of a blast that destroyed a train track in a village south of the country’s capital Warsaw, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told lawmakers the act of sabotage was likely performed on the orders of Russia’s military intelligence.
“In the past days, there were activities of foreign services that could have caused a train catastrophe and the deaths of many people. A foreign country sent well-prepared saboteurs,” Sikorski said during a session of the Polish parliament’s lower chamber on Nov. 19.
Since the incident, which was detected on Nov. 17, Polish authorities have identified two Ukrainian citizens allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence as the suspects behind the blast. One of them had been convicted in absentia of involvement in acts of sabotage in Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that the two suspects have since fled Poland by crossing the country’s border with Belarus.
“Russia’s [military intelligence service] GRU routinely hires for its dirty work people who work under a ‘false flag.’ This was not an act of sabotage, as the previous ones, but an act of state terror,” Sikorski said. “We will give a reply to it, not only a diplomatic one.”
The blast did not cause any casualties. Polish authorities have responded by deploying the military to assist in the investigation and check other segments of the Warsaw-Lublin rail track that was impacted by sabotage.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Warsaw has established itself as one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies, delivering weapons and military equipment to its neighbor.
This has triggered backlash from Russia combined with hostile hybrid attacks against Poland involving cyberattacks, arson and various acts of sabotage.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
