Poland has announced that it will close the last Russian consulate in the country in response to railway sabotage and will deploy thousands of soldiers to guard infrastructure, Reuters writes.
Kiev’s ally Poland reported that the bombings on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line, which connects the country’s capital to the Ukrainian border, were carried out by two Ukrainians who collaborated with Moscow. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters that the first step in response would be to close the Russian consulate in Gdansk. Previously, the Poles closed consulates in Krakow and Poznan after similar incidents. Sikorski told the Polish parliament that this was not only sabotage, but also an act of terrorism.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the sabotage, citing the promotion of Russophobia and said it would reduce Poland’s diplomatic and consular presence in Russia accordingly.
Sikorski said he would ask other European Union countries to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats in the Schengen area.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,
Poland and other European countries have been hit by a wave of cyberattacks and sabotage.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that up to 10,000 soldiers would be deployed to protect critical infrastructure, including railways.
The Chief of Staff of the Polish Army, Wiesław Kukula, said that Poland’s enemies could see the dark evenings and Christmas period in the coming months as a good time to organize sabotage. A special app is planned to be developed so that citizens can report suspicious activity.
Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for Poland’s intelligence minister, said the two main suspects had fled to Belarus, while several others had been detained in connection with the rail bombing. The fugitive saboteurs are scheduled to be tried in absentia in December.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the two had agreed to cooperate with the services and railways, and to identify those working with Russia.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said the attack highlighted the risks to Europe’s rail system, which is vital for the rapid movement of military equipment and troops.
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