Ex‑Polish transport minister Marek Biernacki claims Russian services orchestrated recent sabotage of Polish rail lines, warning that attacks will continue unless the West takes decisive action.
Biernacki on incidents on the railway: All of this is directed by Russian services
On 18 November, Marek Biernacki was questioned by RMF FM about the recent sabotage on the Polish railway network. He asserted that Russian services directed the incidents and that the attacks were a direct result of Poland’s plans to open border crossings with Belarus. Biernacki described the operations as sabotage, acts of terror, and noted the expansion of Russian structures to operate in Poland and across Europe. He warned that sabotage would persist unless the West, NATO and the United States adopt a more decisive stance.
General: Need to move from defense to attack
General Roman Polko, speaking to Gazeta.pl, explained that while Poland’s electronic protection systems are robust, thousands of kilometers of railway cannot be fully secured. He stressed that neutralising the threat at its source is essential, and that the most effective way to limit risk is to force Russia to focus its attacks on its own territory. Polko cited systematic cyber attacks on Polish servers and called for a shift from defence to decisive retaliation, arguing that a change in strategy is needed to halt ongoing escalation.
‘Acts of sabotage unprecedented’
On Sunday near Puława, a passenger train on the Świnoujście‑Rzeszów line was abruptly stopped after 475 passengers were on board, when the traction network was deliberately damaged. TVN24 reported the discovery of metallic fragments and non‑infrastructure tele‑information devices on the tracks. On Monday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk identified the incident as sabotage, which also occurred on the same line in the Życzyn area. The locomotive engineer stopped the train when he noticed a gap in the rail. In a post on X, Minister of Infrastructure Marcin Kierwiński condemned Poland’s exposure to unprecedented acts of sabotage, assured a strong response from services, and demanded accountability from perpetrators.