Polish prosecutors seek European arrest warrant for 2 Ukrainians over suspected Russian-backed rail sabotage
Polish prosecutors have requested that a court issue an European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for two Ukrainian citizens suspected of sabotaging railway infrastructure last month, the prosecutor's office said on Dec. 1.
Yevhenii Ivanov, 41, and Oleksandr Kononov, 39, are suspected of sabotaging the Warsaw-Lublin railway line on Nov. 15 and 16 at the Russian intelligence's orders before fleeing to Belarus.
After a train driver reported irregularities at a railway track on Nov. 16, Polish authorities later confirmed that it had been damaged by explosives. Near another part of the track, damaged overhead lines shattered a window of a train.
Warsaw has called the attack an "unprecedented act of sabotage," underscoring the escalating hybrid operations on Polish territory. The route was used to deliver aid to Ukraine.
Last week, a Warsaw court issued a national arrest warrant for Ivanov and Kononov. The two have been charged on multiple counts, including espionage and sabotage on behalf of foreign services, and face life in prison.
The EAW can be issued by an EU country to simplify cross-border prosecution, replacing complex extradition procedures within the bloc.
Poland also charged another Ukrainian citizen, Volodymyr B., with aiding the sabotage by driving Ivanov to the site beforehand to plan the operation.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously said the sabotage was likely intended to blow up a train. Russia has denied any involvement in the incident.
Warsaw has been raising alarm over the mounting cases of sabotage and espionage activities targeting Poland in recent years, with numerous incidents linked to Russian or Belarusian intelligence services.
Russia has a history of recruiting Ukrainians for sabotage operations in Poland, seeking to exploit vulnerable individuals to target critical infrastructure and undermine security.
Sharing a 535-kilometer (332-mile) border with Ukraine, Poland has served as a key hub for delivering allied military assistance to Kyiv.
In early September, Polish and allied forces shot down several Russian drones that violated Poland's airspace amid an air strike on Ukraine, marking the first such engagement by NATO during the full-scale war.
