A section of railway track on the key Dęblin–Warsaw line is under investigation for possible sabotage after an incident on Sunday morning prompted the emergency halt of a passenger service, Polish authorities have confirmed.
According to police in the Masovian Voivodeship, the driver of a train travelling from Dęblin to the capital reported “irregularities in the railway infrastructure” near the village of Życzyn, in Garwolin county, early on 16 November. At the time, there were two passengers and several members of staff on board. No injuries were reported and the train was brought to a controlled stop.
Officers and technical experts dispatched to the site carried out a preliminary inspection and found damage to part of the track, which led to the line being closed and services suspended on the affected section. Investigators have not yet disclosed the exact nature of the damage, but officials have described it as significant enough to disrupt traffic on the route between eastern Poland and Warsaw.
Commenting on the incident on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the authorities were examining whether the damage could have been caused deliberately. Writing on X, he stated that he was in “constant contact” with the interior minister over the case and that an act of sabotage could not be ruled out at this stage. “No one was injured. The relevant services are conducting an investigation,” he added.
Police and security services are now working alongside rail infrastructure specialists to determine how the track was damaged and whether there is evidence of external interference. Repair and restoration work on the line is being planned under police supervision, with authorities saying that passenger safety and the stabilisation of timetables on the Dęblin–Warsaw corridor will guide the reopening of the route.
The suggestion of possible sabotage comes against the background of heightened concern in Warsaw about hostile activities directed at Poland and other states supporting Ukraine. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Polish security services have reported a rise in espionage and suspected acts of hybrid warfare targeting critical infrastructure, logistics hubs and military facilities.
In October this year, Tusk announced that eight people had been detained across Poland on suspicion of preparing acts of sabotage, allegedly linked to Russian interests. According to officials, the suspects were accused of reconnaissance against military sites and strategic infrastructure, as well as planning disruptive activities inside the country. The prime minister said at the time that these cases formed part of a broader pattern of hybrid operations directed against states backing Kyiv.
Polish investigators have also worked with partners in other EU and NATO member states on related cases. In October, prosecutors confirmed the arrest of a Ukrainian national in Poland and two further suspects in Romania, who are alleged to have cooperated with Russian intelligence services in a sabotage campaign, including attempts to send explosive materials into Ukraine.
Tusk has repeatedly warned that, in his government’s assessment, Russia is seeking to extend the war beyond the battlefield in Ukraine through covert and deniable actions. In January, he accused Moscow of planning a global campaign of “acts of sabotage”, including operations against civil aviation and infrastructure in countries aligned with Kyiv. The Kremlin has rejected Western accusations that it is directing such activities.
The incident near Życzyn therefore fits into a wider security context in which Polish authorities treat unexplained damage to infrastructure as a potential element of hybrid warfare until investigations conclude otherwise. For now, officials have emphasised that the cause of Sunday’s damage has not been established and that all scenarios remain open. There have been no reports of explosives being found at the site, and no group has claimed responsibility for any attack.
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