Belarus joins search for suspected saboteurs behind attacks on Polish railway

Belarusian authorities have confirmed they are assisting in the search for two Ukrainian citizens suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage on Polish soil, a spokesperson for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Ruslan Varankou, said.

The suspects are alleged to have targeted the Warsaw–Dorohusk railway line, including detonating an explosive device that destroyed tracks in the village of Mika and damaging railway lines near Gołąb, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Officials have confirmed that the individuals crossed into Belarus.

“Belarusian and Polish authorities are conducting joint efforts to determine the whereabouts of the two Ukrainian citizens suspected of committing terrorist acts in Poland,” Varankou told reporters.

He added that, should their location in Belarus be confirmed, they would be detained and, in line with standard procedures, consideration would be given to Poland’s request for their extradition.

Varankou stressed that operational activities are being carried out “in the spirit of partnership and good neighbourliness,” although he noted, Poland has yet to submit a formally completed request for legal assistance in the matter.

The incidents, which occurred last week, prompted emergency responses. In Mika, Mazovia, an explosion destroyed a section of track on November 15. The following day, a train carrying 475 passengers had to make an emergency stop near Gołąb, Lublin, due to damage to the railway line.

Polish prosecutors have launched an investigation into acts of sabotage against the country’s railway infrastructure, allegedly committed on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. The State Commission for Railway Accident Investigation is also involved and will notify the European Union Agency for Railways.

Two Ukrainians, Oleksandr K., 39, and Yevhenii I., 41, have been formally charged with committing acts of sabotage for Russian intelligence against Poland. Charges relate to espionage through sabotage, endangering public safety in land transport, and the use of explosives, carrying a potential life sentence.

The National Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the suspects acted together and in coordination with other unidentified individuals. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev