Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, second right, visits the site of the railway track that was damaged near Deblin, Poland. KPRM/AP
A train track between the Polish cities of Warsaw and Lublin was destroyed in an “unprecedented act of sabotage” over the weekend, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday, noting that the railway is “crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine.”
An “explosive device” blew up the rail track on Sunday, Tusk said in a post on X, adding separately that the attack “directly (targeted) the security of the Polish state and its civilians.”
Destruction was also identified along the same route, further down the railway line, he said.
During a news conference on Monday afternoon, Poland’s interior minister Marcin Kierwiński said there were two separate incidents over the weekend, one confirmed as an act of sabotage and the second which is “highly probable” to be sabotage. No-one has been arrested yet in connection with either incident.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, said that “threats to Europe’s security are real and growing.” The continent “must urgently boost capacity to protect our skies and our infrastructure,” she said.
The Estonian Prime Minister, Kristen Michal, strongly condemned the damage to the train track, writing on X that his country was in solidarity with Poland.
“Those behind hostile acts against EU and NATO members must be exposed. Our response must be united,” he said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also extended his country’s solidarity with Poland, offering support if needed and suggesting that Russia could have played a part in the incident.
“We hope investigation will provide answers, and we also stand ready to assist if called upon, Sybiha said. “Could have been another hybrid attack by Russia – to test responses. If true, they need to be strong.”
Tusk vowed that his country “will catch the perpetrators, whoever they are,” without saying who he believed was responsible for the damage.
According to Tusk, the explosion, which did not injure anyone, is the latest in a string of incidents in Europe that have left the continent on high alert.
A number of European countries have reported airspace incursions over recent months, most of which they blamed on Russia. The Kremlin denied involvement.
Earlier this month, the European Commission adopted stricter rules on issuing visas to Russian nationals, citing safety risks related to Russia’s war on Ukraine as the reason for doing so.
“We now face unparalleled drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil. We have a duty to protect our citizens,” EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas said in a statement.
A research paper by the International Institute for Strategic Studies said that Russia has waged a “campaign of sabotage, vandalism, espionage and covert action” in order to destabilize European governments.
Incidents included in this alleged campaign involve the deliberate damaging of undersea cables, the targeting of telecommunications towers, and arson plots, IISS said.
According to the Polish Press Agency, Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk told Polsat News during a Sunday interview that his country has been confronted with different types of sabotage for some time.
A huge fire last year razed a shopping center in Warsaw. In May, Polish authorities said this was the result of arson ordered by Russian intelligence services. Russia had earlier denied allegations it had orchestrated such arson and sabotage operations across Europe.
While “someone must have damaged” the train track, Duszczyk said, he warned against immediately assigning the blame to Russia, PAP reported.
“Russia is not so powerful that every arson, every situation of this type, is provoked by Russia. However, this cannot be ruled out or underestimated in any way,” he said, according to PAP.
The country’s Internal Security Agency is working alongside police, the prosecutor’s office, and railway services to investigate the matter, Polish politician Tomasz Siemoniak said on X.
Poland’s National Security Committee will meet on Tuesday morning, with military commanders, heads of services and the president’s representative in attendance, Tusk said. This story has been updated with additional developments.