Poland says railway blast was an ‘unprecedented act of sabotage’

While visiting the site Monday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the incident had taken place on a line that is vital for delivering aid to Ukraine.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday that an explosion on a section of railway line used for deliveries to Ukraine was an “unprecedented act of sabotage.”

A Polish security source told The Associated Press that authorities are investigating whether the blast on Sunday on the line linking Warsaw to southeastern Poland is connected to Russia, Belarus or their proxies.

Tusk has vowed that Poland will catch the perpetrators, “whoever they are.”

While visiting the site Monday, the prime minister said the incident had taken place on a line that is vital for delivering aid to Ukraine. Polish officials said they were sure an explosive device had been detonated on a section of track between Warsaw and Lublin and later discovered damage to overhead cables on the same line. Both were likely sabotage, Polish officials said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance is in close contact with Polish officials and is awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by the AP. Moscow’s goal, Western officials say, is to undermine support for Ukraine, spark fear and divide European societies.

The likelihood that the two incidents on the railway line happened “on the order of foreign services” was “very high” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s security services minister.

Investigators probing the two cases of suspected sabotage are investigating whether they were deliberate acts by a hostile state, said the Polish security source speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.