Suspected Russian Sabotage in Poland Alarms NATO Allies

The news in Polish

1. śledztwo  (n.)
   dokładne sprawdzanie i badanie przez policję lub prokuraturę, aby dowiedzieć się, kto popełnił przestępstwo ↩︎
2. wybuch  (m.)
   nagłe, silne eksplodowanie czegoś, często z hukiem i zniszczeniami ↩︎
3. dywersja  (f.)
   tajne działania mające na celu osłabić przeciwnika, np. przez sabotaż lub zamachy ↩︎
4. wojskowy
   związany z wojskiem, armią lub działaniami zbrojnymi ↩︎
5. cel  (m.)
   to, na co jest skierowany atak lub działanie; rzecz lub miejsce, które ktoś chce trafić albo osiągnąć ↩︎
6. ochrona  (f.)
   działania, które mają kogoś lub coś zabezpieczyć przed niebezpieczeństwem lub szkodą ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Why is Poland an important target for attacks, according to the text?

Question 2: What two main actions does the Polish government want to take after the explosion on the railway tracks?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
śledztwo  (n.)	investigation
wybuch  (m.)	explosion
dywersja  (f.)	subversion
wojskowy	military
cel  (m.)	target
ochrona  (f.)	protection

Read the full story

Polish authorities are investigating a series of suspected Russian sabotage attacks, including a recent railway explosion, that have raised concerns inside Poland, the European Union and NATO. Officials in Warsaw link these incidents to the ongoing war in Ukraine and to wider tensions between Russia and the West.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Poland must be prepared for further attempts to damage infrastructure. According to the government, Poland has become a key hub for military and humanitarian supplies heading to Ukraine, which makes its railways, roads and fuel networks attractive targets for those seeking to slow Western support for Kyiv.

Security specialist Dr Beata Górka-Winter from the University of Warsaw explains that targeting railway tracks is a relatively simple way to try to disrupt weapons and equipment deliveries. She notes that, given Poland’s central role in supporting Ukraine, many analysts had expected such large-scale sabotage attempts to appear earlier in the conflict.

Experts also point to a second layer of context: the EU and NATO are now accelerating plans for so‑called Military Mobility – often described as a form of “military Schengen”. The goal is to make it easier and faster to move troops and heavy equipment across European borders. The EU recently announced around €17 billion for upgrading roads, bridges and airports, with Poland expected to be one of the main beneficiaries because of its current infrastructure bottlenecks.

In November, NATO allies signed a letter of intent in Brussels to create a Central-Northern European Military Mobility Area, a framework intended to better coordinate NATO and EU planning. According to analysts, these steps are seen in Moscow as a strategic threat because they would make it easier for allied forces to reinforce the eastern flank in a crisis.

Against this background, the recent sabotage cases are viewed in Warsaw as attempts to undermine confidence in investing in Polish infrastructure. By showing that Poland allegedly cannot fully secure its critical sites, hostile actors may hope that some EU partners will question whether it is wise to pour large sums into roads and rail lines that could later be damaged.

Another possible factor mentioned in Polish debate is retaliation linked to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Polish commentators recall that Warsaw refused to extradite a person suspected of involvement in the pipeline explosion, a move that may have angered Moscow. While there is no public proof directly connecting that case to the current incidents, some experts see a broader pattern of symbolic revenge in Russian foreign policy.

Investigators and analysts also focus on the hybrid nature of the threat. Beyond physical damage to tracks or facilities, the suspected Russian campaign appears to include disinformation and psychological operations. Polish security experts say that people of Ukrainian nationality have allegedly been recruited for some of the acts of sabotage. They argue that this choice of perpetrators is unlikely to be accidental.

By highlighting Ukrainian suspects, hostile propaganda can try to intensify anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland. On social media, comment threads often question why Poles continue to help Ukrainians if some are accused of harming Polish infrastructure. Observers warn that many of these reactions may be coordinated online campaigns designed to deepen divisions, reduce support for Ukraine and present Polish solidarity as naïve or hypocritical.

Public opinion in Poland has indeed shifted over the last three years. While the country initially welcomed large numbers of Ukrainian refugees and pushed hard in international forums for strong backing for Kyiv, the domestic debate now more often asks how long and on what scale this support should continue. Polish officials and experts caution that if Poland weakens its advocacy, overall Western support for Ukraine could also erode, since Warsaw has played a visible role in explaining the security risks of Russian aggression to partners, including the United States.

In response to the recent incidents, security specialists are calling for a major tightening of counter-intelligence measures. Dr Górka-Winter argues that Poland has paid too little attention to who enters and resides in the country, particularly from the broader post-Soviet region. She describes earlier cases in which Russian citizens received scholarships as supposed opposition activists but were later suspected of links to the FSB intelligence service.

This has raised questions about how thoroughly foreign students, researchers and visiting professionals are checked when they join universities, media outlets or research institutes. Some academic programmes in Poland deal directly with security, defence technologies and Western operational methods. Without careful screening, lecture materials and research results from these courses could, critics say, be passed to foreign intelligence services.

Polish services are also reported to be reviewing other sectors that attract visitors from outside the EU, including people from the Middle East. Security experts warn that individuals in difficult financial situations can sometimes be recruited for sabotage through online platforms for relatively modest sums of money, making broad, society‑wide vigilance necessary.

At the same time, specialists acknowledge that full control is impossible. Placing security officers near every foreign resident or visitor is neither realistic nor compatible with open democratic societies. Instead, they propose risk-based monitoring, where certain environments – for example sensitive research projects on cultural assets or meetings involving strategic infrastructure – receive extra attention from counter-intelligence.

For Poland’s allies, the unfolding investigations highlight both the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the changing character of modern conflict. The suspected Russian actions combine physical attacks, cyber elements and information campaigns aiming to weaken political will. According to Polish experts, this suggests not only that Russia remains willing to strike beyond Ukraine’s borders, but also that it may be reacting nervously to the EU and NATO’s recent push to strengthen their eastern flank.

As inquiries continue, the Polish government and security services are under pressure to improve protection of railways and other key systems while also countering online manipulation. For now, Warsaw’s Western partners are watching closely, aware that the lessons from Poland’s experience may soon be relevant for other frontline states in Europe.

Info: ‘Polish Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Polish’, a language school dedicated to teaching Polish through various types of online courses, where we regularly share practical guidance on how to learn Polish fast based on everyday learning experiences and common challenges faced by our students.