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Poland seeks Interpol Red Notices for two Ukrainians accused of Russian-linked rail sabotage

08.12.2025 10:10
Poland has asked Interpol to issue Red Notices for two Ukrainian men accused of sabotaging railway lines on the orders of Russian intelligence, according to officials.
Emergency crews inspect track damage on the DęblinWarsaw line, 17 November 2025, near Garwolin, eastern Poland.
Emergency crews inspect track damage on the Dęblin–Warsaw line, 17 November 2025, near Garwolin, eastern Poland.Photo: PAP/Wojtek Jargiło

Inspector Katarzyna Nowak from the National Police Headquarters told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the requests concern Yevhenii Ivanov and Oleksander Kononov.

She said the police have passed the files into Interpol’s system, but the organisation now needs to review the evidence before deciding whether to approve the alerts.

There is no fixed timeline for that decision.

Last week, a European Arrest Warrant was issued for the two men in connection with deliberate sabotage on Poland’s railway network, the Warsaw District Court announced.

Search extends

If the Red Notices are issued, the men could be detained anywhere in the world, as the alerts are recognised by more than 190 countries.

Investigators believe both suspects left Poland shortly after the incidents and travelled towards Belarus.

Acts of sabotage

The case concerns two incidents over the weekend of 15–16 November along the Warsaw–Dorohusk line.

In Mika, an explosive device destroyed a section of railway track, while near Gołąb a passenger train carrying 475 people was forced into an emergency stop due to damaged tracks. No one was injured.

Prosecutors have classified the acts as sabotage committed for the benefit of a foreign intelligence service, alongside charges related to endangering rail transport and the use of explosives.

The offences carry a potential life sentence.

A third man, Volodymyr B., has been arrested and charged with assisting the operation.

In November, a spokesman for Belarus’ foreign ministry said the country had joined the search for the suspects and confirmed that they had entered Belarus.

Minsk has said that if the individuals are located, a request for their extradition to Poland will be considered according to legal procedures and the circumstances of the case.

(ał)

Source: PAP