...
By Robert Birsel and Shane Croucher
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the "worst suspicions have been confirmed" and that a bomb had damaged the railway track along the route between Warsaw and Lublin, near the border with Ukraine, in "an unprecedented act of sabotage" aimed at undermining Poland's security.
Why It Matters
Poland is a NATO ally and a hub for Western support for Ukraine’s war against Russian invaders. Tusk noted that the line hit is "crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine."
Read More on World
Tusk did not say immediately who Poland suspects is behind the sabotage, but it has accused Russia of previous incidents as part of what Warsaw says is a hybrid war that Moscow is waging against Western nations in retaliation for their support of Ukraine's resistance against the full-scale invasion.
Polish officials have also alleged that Russia, with the support of its ally Belarus, has been orchestrating a migration crisis along the EU's eastern border to sow chaos and division within the bloc.
What To Know
Tusk said the railway line was blown up near the village of Mika, about 50 miles southeast of Warsaw, and about halfway between the capital and the city of Lublin.
The damage to the track was discovered on Sunday morning. No one was injured.
"An explosive device destroyed the railway track," Tusk said, originally in Polish, in a post on X.
"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. An investigation is underway. Just like in previous cases of this kind, we will catch the perpetrators, regardless of who their backers are," Tusk said.
"Emergency services and the prosecutor’s office are working at the scene. Damage was also found on the same route, closer to Lublin," he said.
...
Tusk and other European leaders have accused Russia of waging hybrid warfare against Ukraine’s allies, a strategy combining different unconventional tactics such as sabotage, cyberattacks and drone incursions, to undermine adversaries’ security.
Poland has been on alert since early September, when a swarm of drones entered its airspace from neighboring Belarus, a Russian ally.
Poland determined the unmanned aerial vehicles to be of Russian origin, having coincided with a massive attack against various sites in western Ukraine, which also borders Poland, and NATO aircraft shot down several of the drones.
While Russian officials denied responsibility, Tusk said at the time it was the closest Poland had been to open conflict since World War II.
Since then, several European NATO members have reported incidents of unidentified drones flying over airports and military facilities.
NATO is working on new measures to shore up its eastern flank bordering Russia.
What People Are Saying
Poland’s Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said: “Unfortunately, there is no doubt that we were dealing with an act of sabotage. Another section of this strategic railway route, where the tracks were damaged, is also being investigated."
What Happens Next
Polish authorities are investigating the two acts of sabotage on the railway line.
Update 11/17/2025 5:02 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include additional comments from Tusk.
Update 11/17/2025 4:20 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines