Polish investigation reveals how suspected Ukrainians saboteurs carried out railway attacks

Polish investigators have uncovered how two Ukrainian nationals, allegedly working for Russian intelligence, entered Poland on false passports from Belarus and spent only a few hours in the country while orchestrating acts of railway sabotage later carried out by their accomplices.

The findings, revealed by Polish outlet Onet, indicate that the pair—who fled Poland before being identified—played a central role in planning the attacks, Caliber.Az reports. 

The suspects have been identified as 41-year-old Yevhenii Ivanov and 39-year-old Oleksandr Kononov. According to Onet, both men served as masterminds behind the sabotage operation targeting key Polish railway infrastructure. Their assistants, who executed the tasks on the ground, have already been detained in Poland.

Ukrainian media report that Ivanov, originally from Kharkiv Oblast, was recruited by Russian intelligence no later than January 2024 and allegedly collaborated with a Russian GRU officer, Yuri Syzov. He had reportedly been instructed to prepare a separate sabotage attempt on a drone manufacturing plant in Lviv. Both Ivanov and Kononov left Poland through the Terespol border crossing before authorities were able to identify them.

Polish prosecutors have now filed terrorism-related charges against the two Ukrainian citizens, accusing them of sabotaging railway lines on behalf of Russian intelligence. Officials say the investigation is still in its early stages, but evidence points with “a very high probability” to their direct role in recent attacks.

The charges include conducting sabotage for a foreign intelligence service, creating the risk of a rail disaster, and using explosives—offenses that could carry a life sentence.

The first sabotage incident occurred on November 15 near the village of Mika, southeast of Warsaw, on the Warsaw–Dorohusk line, a critical rail connection to the Ukrainian border. An explosive device detonated as a freight train passed, damaging the track. Investigators recovered several items at the scene, including a wire believed to have triggered the blast.

The second incident took place near the village of Gołąb, close to Puławy, on the same line. Saboteurs damaged part of the overhead power system and placed a steel clamp on the tracks—actions that could have caused a derailment. On November 16, a passenger train carrying 475 people was forced to brake sharply due to the damage.

By Sabina Mammadli