Poland says blast on rail line to Ukraine ‘unprecedented act of sabotage’

BBC:

Poland’s prime minister has said an explosion on a railway line leading to the Ukraine border this weekend was caused by “an unprecedented act of sabotage”, and vowed to catch those responsible “regardless of who their backers are”.

Visiting the scene on Monday, Donald Tusk said the damage done to the railway tracks on Sunday was deliberate and likely aimed at blowing up the train. He expressed relief there were no casualties.

After an emergency meeting of security officials on Monday, Poland’s special services minister did not initially name Russia directly, but said there was a “very high chance” that the blast was carried out on the orders of “foreign services”.

However, spokesman Jacek Dobrzynski told reporters on Tuesday that “everything points to them being Russian special services”.

Russia “wants to shake our society, they want to scare us”, he added.

Polish officials were initially cautious about blaming Russia openly, although they gave very strong indications who they believed to be responsible.

Poland has experienced a series of major arson and sabotage attacks in recent years, including parcel bombings, that it sees as part of Moscow’s hybrid war on the West.

The explosion at the weekend happened on the track between Warsaw and Lublin to the south-east, and Donald Tusk noted that the route was “crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine”.

Poland’s railway network is a critical part of the military supply lines for its neighbour as well as a route for civilians moving in and out of the country.