【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】On November 17 local time, the Polish government announced that an explosion occurred on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line connecting the capital of Poland to the border with Ukraine. This railway is used to transport weapons and other supplies to Ukraine. Poland quickly attributed the incident to Russia, stating that two Ukrainian citizens "working for Russia" are suspected of blowing up the railway, and ordered the closure of the last Russian consulate in Poland.

Regarding the accusations made by Poland, Russian President's press secretary Peskov responded on the 18th, saying that "anti-Russian sentiment" is prevalent in Poland, and "it would be strange if Russia was not the first country to be blamed." On the 19th, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zarakhova stated that as a response to Poland closing the Russian consulate, Russia will cut down the diplomatic and consular institutions of Poland in Russia.

According to the Associated Press, the damaged section of the railway is near the village of Miky, about 100 kilometers southeast of Warsaw, and no one was injured in the incident. On the 18th, Polish Prime Minister Tusk told the Polish parliament that the suspects were two Ukrainian citizens "working for the Russian intelligence department," but did not reveal their specific identities.

Tusk said that the two suspects have long cooperated with the Russian intelligence department, and they have left Poland and entered Belarus through the Trebacz border checkpoint. He stated that the Polish authorities have identified the suspects' identities, but due to the ongoing investigation, they cannot yet disclose the relevant information.

On November 17 local time, Polish Prime Minister Tusk visited the Warsaw-Lublin railway line IC photo

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced on the 19th that he would order the closure of the last remaining Russian consulate operating in Poland. Sikorski said that he has repeatedly warned Russia that if Russia does not stop its hostile actions against Poland, the number of Russian diplomatic and consular institutions in Poland will further decrease.

"Given this situation, although this is not our entire response, I have decided to revoke the operating license of the last Russian consulate in Gdansk, and Russia will receive notice within a few hours," Sikorski said, "This is not only an act of subversion, but also an act of 'state terrorism,' because its purpose is clearly to cause casualties."

Previously, Poland had closed two other consulates on the grounds that Russia "carried out sabotage operations." Last October, Sikorski ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Poznań, citing Russia's "funding of arson and other acts of sabotage." In May of this year, Sikorski accused Russian intelligence agencies of planning the fire at the Warsaw shopping mall in May 2024 and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Kraków.

In addition, the Polish government reported that a power line on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line was damaged, forcing a train carrying 475 passengers to stop in Pławin, between Miky and Lublin, with no reports of injuries. The Polish government claimed that this was also an "intentional sabotage event."

Regarding Poland's accusations, Russian President's press secretary Peskov responded on the 18th, saying that "anti-Russian sentiment" is widespread in Poland, and the severity exceeds that of Western Europe, "it would be strange if Russia was not the first country to be blamed."

Peskov added, "The fact that Ukrainian citizens are again involved in the destruction and terrorist acts targeting critical infrastructure is more worth attention." He mentioned that last month, the Warsaw regional court rejected Germany's extradition request for a Ukrainian citizen suspected of participating in the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline and released the man in court.

At that time, Tusk also posted on social media: "The issue with 'Nord Stream-2' is not that it was blown up, but that it was built." Regarding this statement, Peskov criticized that it shows that Poland is willing to "tolerate terrorism" as long as it can harm Russian interests.

Peskov again emphasized on the 19th that the accusations made by Poland regarding the railway incident were "baseless."

According to TASS, Russian Acting Ambassador to Poland Andrey Ordash said on the 19th that the consulate in Gdansk will be closed by December 23 local time, and all staff of the consulate will leave Poland before that day.

Ordash said, "After the closure of the last consulate, the only consular institution of Russia in Poland will be the embassy's consular office. The workload will increase significantly, as it must provide services for the entire country of Poland. However, I believe that Russia will take reciprocal measures. There is only one consulate left in Russia for Poland, located in Irkutsk. I think its fate is already determined."

TASS reported that the Polish Foreign Ministry summoned Ordash on the 19th. Regarding the railway explosion, Ordash told Russian media that Russia had no intention of sabotaging the Polish railway, "Russia doesn't need to do this at all. We have no interest in it. We have many other things to do, including developing relations with countries that have constructive thinking, which does not include Poland."

In response to the Polish government's order to close the last Russian consulate, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zarakhova responded, "As a reciprocal measure, Russia will reduce the Polish diplomatic and consular institutions in Russia."

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