An explosion on a key Polish railway line used to transport weapons to Ukraine was caused by an “unprecedented act of sabotage”, according to the country’s prime minister.
Donald Tusk said an investigation was under way and vowed to catch those responsible for the attack, which has partially destroyed the line that connects Warsaw and Lublin.
No injuries have been reported, with Mr Tusk saying that “fortunately” tragedy had been avoided.
The blast is the latest in a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks that have hit Poland and other European countries since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Poland has previously blamed Russia for such attacks, saying it has become one of Moscow’s biggest targets due to its role as a hub for aid to Kyiv.
Mr Tusk, who visited the site on Monday, said the line was “crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine”.
He wrote on X: “Just like in previous cases of this kind, we will catch the perpetrators, regardless of who their backers are.”
Russia has repeatedly denied being responsible for acts of sabotage.
Train track irregularities
Local police said reports of track irregularities on the Warsaw-Lublin line were raised by a train driver at around 7:40am on Sunday.
Inspections were carried out which found damage to the track near the village of Mika, 62 miles southeast of Warsaw.
Damaged track was also found at another location on the route. Mr Tusk blamed the damage on a detonated explosive device.
It was not immediately clear whether the explosion and damage occurred late on Saturday or early on Sunday.
Poland’s defence minister said the army plans to examine about 75 miles of the Warsaw-Lublin-Hrubieszów line, which links Warsaw to Ukraine by rail and road.
A second train on the Swinoujscie to Rzeszow route carrying 475 passengers was also damaged.
That train was forced to stop 31 miles from Lublin on Sunday night when the overhead electrical cables that powered the train were damaged. The incident is also under investigation.
The line is also used for passenger trains travelling between the two cities.
The deputy interior minister appealed against jumping to conclusions about the identity of the perpetrators “because Russia isn’t so powerful that every arson, every situation of this kind, is provoked by Russia”.
However, he added that Russia’s involvement also could not be ruled out.
Rising levels of sabotage
Authorities in Poland and across Europe have been on alert after a spate of high-profile sabotage events.
Warsaw said in October that Poland and Romania had detained eight people suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of Russia.
Three of those were detained over an alleged new plan to send exploding parcels to Ukraine.
In the same month, a British judge sentenced five men for their roles in an arson attack in London, which damaged a warehouse in March 2024 that contained satellite communication devices destined for Ukraine.
Authorities say the incident was masterminded by Russian intelligence.
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In November of last year, security officials said parcels that exploded at logistics depots across Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the US.
Meanwhile, European capitals have been alarmed by recent and repeated damage to undersea cables.
In December, Finland seized the Eagle S oil ship which was suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea by dragging its anchor across it.
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Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine in a coordinated campaign of grey zone activity.
Russia has consistently denied that it engages in sabotage, damaging undersea infrastructure or arson attacks.
