Poland says sabotage damaged Warsaw–Lublin rail link used to send aid to Ukraine
Polish authorities say explosions over the weekend damaged a railway line between Warsaw and Lublin — a vital route for transporting humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine — in what Prime Minister Donald Tusk described as "an unprecedented act of sabotage." Officials reported a second section of track closer to Lublin was also damaged. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.
"Unfortunately, the worst fears have been confirmed. Blowing up the rail track on the Warsaw–Lublin route is an unprecedented act of sabotage targeting directly the security of the Polish state and its civilians," Mr Tusk said, announcing an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Committee to review the incident and the investigation.
Mr Tusk stopped short of directly accusing any country, but Polish and Western officials have previously described similar incidents as part of a broader pattern of "hybrid warfare" and sabotage linked to actors aligned with the Russian state. Marcin Bosacki, Poland's deputy foreign minister, told TVP Info that if the explosions are officially ruled sabotage, "it would be a significant escalation by the Russian Federation." Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister overseeing security services, said investigators believe the attack was carried out "on the orders of foreign intelligence services."
Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, expressed "solidarity with friendly Poland" and said the episode could be "another hybrid attack by Russia to test responses." Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has detained dozens of suspects on espionage and sabotage charges.
The incident comes amid a string of suspicious attacks across Europe that Western officials have tied to Russian operations or proxies. In September, explosive-laden drones crossed into Polish airspace and were shot down by NATO-allied jets. Investigators have also linked previous sabotage efforts to attempts to damage infrastructure and aircraft, and have alleged plots to firebomb logistics sites in several countries. Authorities in the Baltic region say a teenage suspect was paid to firebomb an IKEA store in Vilnius, and a mysterious fire at a Polish shopping centre in May 2024 has been attributed to suspected saboteurs.
International reactions were swift. Estonia's prime minister, Kristen Michal, tweeted support for Poland and urged that those responsible be exposed. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that "the threats to our security are real and growing," and called for accelerated efforts to protect Europe's skies and critical infrastructure.
Polish investigators continue to probe the blasts. Officials have emphasized caution pending forensic results, while stressing the strategic importance of the Warsaw–Lublin rail corridor for supporting Ukraine. The government has pledged to bring those responsible to justice and to bolster protections for key transport infrastructure.
