On the morning of Sunday 16 November 2025, at around 7:39, the driver of regional train 12713 operated by Koleje Mazowieckie, travelling from Warszawa Zachodnia to Dęblin, detected an anomaly near Życzyn, not far from Mika station in the Garwolin district. A deformation of the tracks over a stretch of about one metre forced the train to stop. Two passengers and several crew members were on board. No one was hurt, but inspections confirmed that the damage was caused by an explosion. The evening before, on 15 November, a resident had already reported a loud bang near the station, although initial checks had not revealed any critical elements. The next day’s analysis instead confirmed a detonation during the night.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on 17 November that experts had confirmed the use of an explosive device with the clear aim of derailing a moving train on the Warsaw–Dęblin route. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński added that the evidence collected, including CCTV footage and physical residues, will help identify those responsible. His remarks confirmed that the blast was intentional and carefully prepared.
Later the same day, shortly after 21:00 on 16 November, a passenger train travelling from Świnoujście to Rzeszów with 475 people on board stopped near Puławy station due to damage to the overhead power line. According to reconstructions, a chain thrown onto the power line caused a short circuit and the detachment of several cables, some of which shattered the windows of a carriage. Immediately afterwards, the train passed over a section where a V-shaped metal sheet had been placed, an obstacle capable of causing a derailment. Again, no one was injured. During the night, technicians from Pkp Plk identified a further suspicious object on the Puławy Azoty–Zarzeka section, which is now under examination.
The impact on rail traffic was immediate but limited. In the Mika area, trains were diverted to the adjacent track, with delays of up to around ten minutes. Koleje Mazowieckie cancelled some services or shortened routes, also introducing replacement buses. At Puławy, traffic was restricted to a single track for the entire day and repair works continued into the evening. Pkp Plk issued an appeal to railway staff and passengers to report any unusual situation.
Following the two attacks, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz ordered checks on around 120 kilometres of infrastructure up to the Ukrainian border at Hrubieszów, deploying territorial units and specialist teams. Special services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak said there was a high likelihood that the acts had been commissioned by foreign intelligence services. The Public Prosecutor’s Office, together with regional prosecutors in Radom and Puławy, is now conducting the investigation with the involvement of the Internal Security Agency, the Police, the Central Police Bureau and the State Commission for Railway Accident Investigation.
The Warsaw–Lublin line has taken centre stage in political assessments. According to Tusk, the sabotage targeted one of the country’s most critical routes for national security and for connections to Ukraine. Line 7, which runs up to the Dorohusk border crossing, is used daily to transport passengers and materials to Kyiv, including Western aid since the start of the Russian invasion. Any interruption or disruption would therefore affect not only domestic mobility but also international logistics flows. General Jarosław Kraszewski noted that protecting the full length of the rail network is practically impossible, and that a single metre of damaged track can trigger severe consequences. In the Mika–Życzyn case, the driver’s swift reaction prevented a potential catastrophe.
The incidents fit into a context of increasing hostile activity against critical infrastructure in Poland and other European countries. Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski pointed to a rise in attacks on water and sewage systems, part of a broader pattern of operations linked to so-called hybrid warfare. According to European security services, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and arson are at least partly attributable to initiatives supported by Moscow. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski warned that Poland could shut down all Russian consulates on its territory if further hostile acts occur, while former Interior Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz described the events as a possible sign of an escalation in the techniques used by Russian intelligence services within the European Union.
