The longest night of the year and Christmas, “opportune times for an attack”. The warning of the head of the Polish army after the railway sabotage attributed to Russia

The Chief of Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Wieslaw Kukula, warned on Wednesday, in a press conference held in the context of last weekend's railway sabotage, that the longer nights in winter and the approach of the Christmas holidays “could be perceived by our enemies as the most opportune moment to attack our security”, notes The Guardian.

“The night, which provides a natural cover for this type of activity, will be very long in the coming weeks. In a little more than a month, the Christmas holidays begin, a time when most Poles will travel, mostly using public transport. This interval in the calendar could be perceived by our enemies as the most suitable time to attack our security,” said the Chief of Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.

“We must not allow this to happen,” he added.

He warned that “the intentions of the Russian Federation remain unchanged, and the events of the last few weeks outline a broad horizon of potential incidents that may take place.”

Kakula added that the military wants to prepare for “a wide range” of possible incidents “to eliminate any room for this type of activity.”

“On December 21 we will have the longest night and shortest day of the year and night is a natural cover for various activities of sabotage groups. The latest incident (rail no) is a perfect example,” he said.

Kukula was speaking at a news conference where the Polish government confirmed plans to deploy up to 10,000 troops to protect critical infrastructure as part of Operation Horizon following last weekend's rail sabotage incidents.

Two Ukrainians who worked for Russia, suspects in the act of sabotage in Poland

A railway connecting Warsaw with an eastern region bordering Ukraine was damaged by an explosion on Sunday. Polish officials accuse Russia of sabotage.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told lawmakers on Tuesday that authorities investigating the weekend rail sabotage had identified two main suspects.

The two are Ukrainians who crossed the border into Poland from Belarus this fall and are believed to have collaborated with Russian intelligence. One of the suspects was previously convicted of sabotage by a court in Lviv.

After the incidents, both fled back to Belarus, Tusk said.

Revealing more details about the first explosion in the village of Mika, Tusk said the perpetrators used a C-4 military-grade explosive, to which a 300m cable was attached.

The explosive detonated under a freight train, which sustained minor damage to the chassis but severely damaged the tracks, endangering trains running on the route, Tusk said.

The next train to stop was informed of the problem and moved slowly enough to stop in time.

Tusk pointed out that the incident was probably “the most serious from the point of view of the security of the Polish state, since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

Poland's foreign minister said Wednesday he will order the closure of the last Russian consulate still operating in the country.