Prosecutors in Poland have requested an Interpol Red Notice for two Ukrainians suspected of carrying out a railway sabotage operation on behalf of Russia, police have confirmed.
The pair, named as 41-year-old Yevhenii Ivanov and 39-year-old Oleksandr Kononov, are wanted over coordinated attacks last month targeting the Warsaw-Lublin railway line, a strategic transport link used to serve local communities and transport aid to Ukraine.
They are believed to have fled over the border to Belarus following the incidents, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk branded “state terrorism.” Officials say both suspects have links to Russian military intelligence.
Despite the duo being beyond the Polish authorities’ reach, law enforcement agencies have taken steps, including issuing an European Arrest Warrant, with the eventual goal of obtaining a red notice from Interpol, the global crime-fighting agency.
When a red notice is issued, Interpol alerts its 196 member countries—which include both Belarus and Russia—that a fugitive is wanted by another state. However, it is “not an arrest warrant” in itself, Interpol says, emphasizing that the organization “cannot compel the law enforcement authorities in any country” to arrest anyone subject to a notice.
Nonetheless, the such a notice would bring the case to the attention of police and other agencies worldwide.
Interpol’s decision
Speaking to Polish state press agency PAP, a spokesperson for Poland’s police command said officers had received requests from the National Prosecutor’s Office to ask Interpol for a red notice for Ivanov and Kononov.
Inspector Katarzyna Nowak added that police officers are to enter the relevant requests into an Interpol database, passing the matter on to the international body.
“At this stage, the decision is made by Interpol,” she said, adding that there is no deadline set for the agency to decide whether to issue a notice or not.
“For Interpol, it’s a matter of verifying firstly the material contained in the prosecutor’s applications, and secondly, the charges themselves,” she said.
Life imprisonment threat
Ivanov and Kononov have been charged with committing sabotage for a foreign intelligence service, endangering land transport and using explosive materials—offenses that together carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The alleged sabotage on November saw a section of track blown up near the village of Mika, some 90 kilometers southeast of Warsaw, in what authorities believe was a probable attempt to blow up or derail a train.
In a second incident, which occurred further down the line in Lublin province, rails were tampered with and a power line was cut.
Since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s allies have reported an uptick in so-called hybrid warfare, including sabotage, arson and cyberattacks.
Russia routinely denies responsibility for such incidents, but the International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) reported in August that the number of Russian sabotage operations in Europe almost quadrupled from 2023 to 2024.