By Catherine Nicholls, Antonia Mortensen, Charlotte Reck, and Char Reck

(CNN) — Polish officials have pointed the finger at Russia after a key train track was destroyed in what Warsaw said was an “unprecedented act of sabotage” committed by two Ukrainian citizens who were “collaborating with Russian services.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that the two perpetrators, who have since fled to Belarus, were identified by the country’s security services following “intensive work.”

Tusk said on Monday that the train track between the Polish cities of Warsaw and Lublin was destroyed after an “explosive device” blew it up.

“We are certain that the attempt to blow up the tracks and the violation of railway infrastructure were intentional and aimed at causing a catastrophe in rail traffic,” the Polish leader said in the Sejm, Poland’s parliamentary lower house.

“The established perpetrators are two Ukrainian citizens who have been collaborating with Russian services for some time. Their identities are known,” he added.

Tusk said earlier that the rail was “crucially important for delivering aid to Ukraine” and that the attack “directly (targeted) the security of the Polish state and its civilians.”

Destruction was also identified along the same route further down the railway line, he said on Monday.

The Kremlin rejected Tusk’s claim of Russian collusion Tuesday, citing “Russophobia” as the driving force behind the accusation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Russia is being blamed for all manifestations of hybrid warfare and outright warfare taking place in Poland … Russophobia is flourishing there.”

Rebuffing Poland’s allegation, Peskov added, “The very fact that Ukrainian citizens are again involved in acts of sabotage and terrorism against critical infrastructure is significant. … If I were in the shoes of the Poles, the Germans or the French, I would think twice.”

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Poland’s interior minister Marcin Kierwiński said that two separate incidents took place over the weekend – one confirmed act of sabotage, and one that was deemed “highly probable” to be sabotage. No arrests have been made so far in relation to the incidents.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, said that threats to Europe’s security are “real and growing.” The continent “must urgently boost capacity to protect our skies and our infrastructure,” she said.

Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal strongly condemned the damage to the train track, writing on X that his country stands with Poland.

“Those behind hostile acts against (European Union) and NATO members must be exposed. Our response must be united,” Michal said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also offered his country’s solidarity with Poland, offering support if needed.

The Ukrainian government condemned the “sabotage” and said Russia was trying to shift the blame onto Ukraine. In a statement on Tuesday, the foreign ministry accused Russia of cynically recruiting Ukrainian passport holders to do its bidding. Several European countries including the United Kingdom and Germany have previously arrested, charged and, in some cases, convicted Ukrainian nationals for Russian-ordered attacks.

“We hope investigation will provide answers and we also stand ready to assist if called upon,” Sybiha said. “Could have been another hybrid attack by Russia - to test responses. If true, they need to be strong.”

Tusk vowed that his country “will catch the perpetrators, whoever they are,” without saying who he believed was responsible for the damage.

String of suspected Russian attacks

The explosion, which did not cause any injuries according to Tusk, is the latest in a string of incidents in Europe that have left the continent on high alert.

Several European nations have reported incursions into their airspace in recent months, with most pointing the finger at Russia. The Kremlin has denied involvement.

Earlier this month, the European Commission adopted stricter rules on issuing visas to Russian nationals, citing safety risks related to Russia’s war on Ukraine as the reason for doing this.

“We now face unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil. We have a duty to protect our citizens,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said in a statement.

A research paper by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) suggested that Russia is carrying out a “campaign of sabotage, vandalism, espionage and covert action” to destabilize European governments.

Incidents within this alleged campaign include the deliberate damaging of undersea cables, the targeting of telecommunications towers and arson plots, IISS said.

In an interview with the outlet Polsat News on Sunday, Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk said that his country has been confronted with varying acts of sabotage for some time, according to the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Last year, an enormous fire destroyed a shopping center in Warsaw. Polish authorities announced in May that this was the result of arson ordered by Russian intelligence services, though Russia had previously denied allegations of orchestrating arson and sabotage operations across Europe.

While “someone must have damaged” the train track, Duszczyk said, he also warned against immediately assigning the blame to Russia, PAP reported.

“Russia is not so powerful that every arson, every situation of this type, is provoked by Russia. However, this cannot be ruled out or underestimated in any way,” he said, according to PAP.

The country’s Internal Security Agency is working alongside police, the prosecutor’s office and railway services to investigate the matter, Polish politician Tomasz Siemoniak said on X.

Poland’s National Security Committee will hold a meeting on Tuesday morning, with military commanders, heads of services and the president’s representative in attendance, Tusk said.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

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