Politics Poland: Attack on railroad track probably intended to blow up train
In Poland, unknown persons have carried out an explosives attack on a strategically important railroad line. The Polish government spoke of an act of sabotage. It assumes that the attack was aimed at a train.
17.11.2025, 12:44
17.11.2025, 16:07
SDA
"The explosion near the village of Mika was most likely intended to blow up a train from Warsaw to Deblin," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a visit to the site. "Fortunately, there was no tragedy, but the matter is very serious."
Tusk had previously informed X that tracks on the route from the capital Warsaw to Lublin in the east of the country had been destroyed by an explosive charge. He spoke of an unprecedented act of sabotage directed against the security of the Polish state and its citizens. The perpetrators will be tracked down - regardless of who ordered the attack, he wrote on X. The background to the crime remained unclear for the time being; the public prosecutor's office and the secret service are investigating.
Train traffic on the line stopped in good time - no injuries
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said that there was extensive evidence that would certainly allow "the perpetrators of this shameful act of sabotage to be identified very quickly". He pointed out that, among other things, recordings from surveillance cameras in the area as well as materials and objects that could help identify the perpetrators had been seized.
On Sunday morning, the driver of a train from Deblin (Lublin Voivodeship) to Warsaw noticed a badly damaged section of track near the village of Mika. He alerted the control center, which then temporarily suspended train services on this section of track. Neither passengers nor train staff were injured. The village of Mika is a good hundred kilometers southeast of Warsaw.
Further damage to the railroad line discovered
According to the Minister of the Interior, two further incidents were confirmed on Sunday evening. At another location along the same railroad line, the power line was damaged over a length of around 60 meters. A few hundred meters further on, a metal clamp was found attached to the tracks. Passing trains had severed the clamp. Investigations are also underway here.
The chairman of the board of the Polish railroad company PKP told the news agency PAP that the company's safety regulations had worked and that no one had been injured. According to information from Radio Zet, the Polish railroads had been receiving information about the acute danger of attacks for several days, which is why PKP had put its staff on heightened alert.
Military transports to Ukraine via Poland's rail network
In the EU and NATO member state Poland, which is one of the closest political and military allies of Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, there has been fear of Russian sabotage since the start of the war. The railroad network in particular is considered a possible target, as many military transports to Ukraine run via Poland to the neighboring country. The route now affected leads to the border town of Dorohusk and from there on to Ukraine.
Poland's government has not yet raised any suspicions against Russia in connection with the attack on the railroad. However, last year it blamed Russian secret services for a major fire in a shopping center in Warsaw. In October, eight people were also arrested on charges of planning acts of sabotage and espionage.
