Two Ukrainian men are to be charged with sabotage of a terrorist nature on behalf of Russia after an explosion on a Polish rail line which delivers aid to Ukraine occurred
Polish prosecutors plan to charge two Ukrainians with sabotage of a terrorist nature on behalf of Russia in response to explosion occurred on a Polish rail line delivering aid to Ukraine.
Polish officials have said the two suspects fled Poland and crossed into Belarus as soon as they committed the alleged attack on a rail line. Authorities allege the two Ukrainians had been collaborating with the Russian secret services for a long time prior to the attack.
Polish prosecutors have added that several others have been detained in connection to the railway explosion alongside the two Ukrainians who were charged. Local police have confirmed the explosion occurred on Sunday night after a train driver reported damage on the railway line.
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No one was hurt or injured as a result of the explosion. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has described the incident as an “unprecedented act of sabotage” with Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski labelled the incident “an act of state terror.”
The explosion occurred near the Polish village of Mika, located in east-central Poland, about 100 kilometres south east of Warsaw. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has added he also believes the sabotage has a “Russian link.” After speaking to the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Zelenskyy said: “No one except for Russians is interested in this.”
Zelenskyy also added that Ukraine would provide Poland with all required information to help investigate the incident. Alongside this the Ukrainian Premier announced announced that a Polish-Ukrainian group would be created to prevent Russian sabotage. Since the incident, the Polish authorities said up to 10,000 soldiers would be deployed to help support the police in defending vital infrastructure across the country.
Poland’s foreign minister Sikorski has said in response to the attack on the Polish infrastructure he will order the closure of the last Russian consulate still operating in the country. Sikorski said: “In connection with this, though it will not be our full response, I have decided to withdraw consent for the operation of the last Russian consulate in Gdansk.”
The other two Russian consulates in the country in Krakow and Poznan had been closed in recent years. Despite these consulates having been closed the Russian embassy in Warsaw remains open.
In response to Poland moving to shut the Russian consulate in Gdansk, Moscow has said it will “reduce Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia”. When asked about Poland’s foreign minister’s comments Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s “relations with Poland have deteriorated completely.”
During a daily conference call with reporters Peskov added: “This is probably a manifestation of this degradation, of the desire of the Polish authorities to reduce to zero any possibility of consular or diplomatic ties. In this case, one can only express regret.”