Poland indicts Ukrainian man for assisting in rail sabotage on behalf of Russia

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Polish prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Ukrainian man accused of working on behalf of Russian intelligence and assisting in last year’s sabotage of a rail line in Poland.

The accused, who can be named only as Volodymyr B. under Polish privacy law and pictured above, will stand trial for espionage, sabotage and causing the risk of a major transport accident. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.

In November last year, the Polish authorities discovered acts of sabotage on two sections of a rail line running between Warsaw and the eastern Polish city of Lublin.

In one case, a device containing military-grade C4 explosive was detonated in an apparent attempt to derail a freight train near the village of Mika. However, it caused only minor damage to the floor of the train.

The following day, in the nearby town of Puławy, a passenger train carrying 475 people had to brake suddenly due to damage to the line. However, no one was injured.

A picture released by police showing damage to a track as a result of the sabotage

Soon after, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the perpetrators had been identified as two Ukrainian citizens working on behalf of Russia. They had entered Poland from Belarus and then fled back across the border immediately after the incident.

In December, Interpol issued red notices for the men, identified as Yevhenii Ivanov and Oleksandr Kononov. However, the pair remain at large.

Meanwhile, a third Ukrainian man, Volodymyr B., was detained in Poland a few days after the sabotage and was charged with assisting in carrying out the attack.

In their indictment against Volodymyr B., published on Thursday, the National Prosecutor’s Office says that he assisted Yevhenii Ivanov in conducting reconnaissance of the area, selecting a place to plant the explosives and installing a recording devices and metal elements on the rails.

“These actions created an imminent threat of a disaster, threatening the lives and health of many people and significant property damage,” wrote prosecutors. “Their goal was to seriously intimidate many people and influence public opinion.”

They also say that Volodymyr B. was “participating in the activities of Russian intelligence”. The most serious charge he faces is for acts of sabotage on behalf of foreign intelligence, a crime that carries a minimum prison sentence of ten years, ranging up to life.

Earlier this year, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism published a report identifying Poland as the “primary focus” of Russia’s campaign of sabotage in Europe. Such actions have often been carried out by Ukrainians and Belarusians.

Last month, the trial began of four men – three Ukrainians and one Belarusian – accused of being part of a criminal group that carried out a series of arson attacks in Poland and Lithuania on Russian orders.

This week, Poland announced that it had detained and charged two Ukrainians accused of carrying out espionage and acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

All image credits: CBŚP 

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.