Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Wednesday that Warsaw will withdraw consent for the operation of Russia’s last remaining consulate in the country, escalating its response to what officials describe as a series of Russian-linked sabotage attacks on Polish state security.
Sikorski: “An act of state terrorism”
Speaking in Parliament, Sikorski said the weekend attacks on the strategic Warsaw–Lublin railway route amounted to “an act of state terrorism,” adding that the perpetrators’ “clear intention [was] to cause human casualties.”
He announced that Poland would move to shut down the Russian consulate in Gdańsk — Moscow’s final diplomatic foothold in Poland after the closure of its embassy in Warsaw.
Two sabotage sites, prosecutors investigate “terrorist-nature” acts
Two sections of the Warsaw-Lublin line, a vital corridor connecting Poland’s capital to eastern regions bordering Ukraine, were targeted over the weekend. Tracks were blown up near the village of Mika, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Warsaw, with residents reporting a nighttime blast. Further south, rails in the Lublin region were tampered with and a power line cut.
Prosecutors have opened proceedings into “acts of sabotage of a terrorist nature” carried out on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
Suspects traced to Belarus
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament on Tuesday that investigators had identified two Ukrainian nationals who allegedly collaborated with Russian intelligence. Both reportedly fled to Belarus shortly after the attacks.
Warsaw has warned for months that its role as a key transit hub for military aid to Ukraine makes it a prime target for covert Russian operations.
More than diplomacy
According to Euractiv, Sikorski cautioned lawmakers that a “tsunami” of disinformation was likely to follow the sabotage incidents and said Poland’s response would be “not only diplomatic,” without providing details.
The foreign minister’s remarks highlight Warsaw’s growing alarm over what officials describe as intensifying hybrid pressure – ranging from sabotage and cyberattacks to influence operations – as Russia seeks to undermine support for Ukraine and destabilize frontline NATO states.