Two Ukrainians tied to Russian intelligence are likely behind railway sabotage - Polish PM

A railway line between Warsaw and Lublin was blown up in what Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an unprecedented act of sabotage on November 17. The damaged route is a key corridor for delivering aid to Ukraine.

Police said a train driver reported the explosion on Nov. 16 near the village of Mika, about 130 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Tusk said the blast was likely meant to destroy a train.

On November 18, Polish security services said evidence points to Russian intelligence being behind the attack. Tusk later told parliament that two Ukrainian citizens are suspected of carrying out the sabotage on Russia’s behalf and fled to Belarus shortly afterward. One was previously convicted of sabotage in Lviv; the other is from Donbas.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Russia routinely recruits Ukrainians for hybrid operations and is trying to shift blame for its own actions.

Poland will demand the suspects’ detention and extradition. Tusk said Russia’s sabotage activity is escalating across Europe and is especially dangerous for Poland, which hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees.

Poland has warned of growing Russian and Belarusian espionage and sabotage efforts for years. The country is a critical logistics hub for military aid to Ukraine and has already faced multiple hybrid attacks, including Russian drones shot down in its airspace in September.

Energe corruption scandal: ex-deputy prime minister is arrested

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered the arrest of Oleksii Chernyshov — former deputy prime minister, ex-minister for communities and territories, former Naftogaz chief, and former head of the Kyiv Oblast Administration.

The High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered the arrest of Oleksii Chernyshov — former deputy prime minister, ex-minister for communities and territories, former Naftogaz chief, and former head of the Kyiv Oblast Administration — with bail set at 51 million hryvnias (about $1.2 million).

Chernyshov was charged on Nov. 11 with illicit enrichment in a major corruption case tied to state nuclear operator Energoatom. Seven others have been charged, and investigators say Timur Mindich, an associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky, allegedly led the scheme.

According to NABU ( National Anticorruption Bureau) tapes, Chernyshov received $1.2 million and 100,000 euros from participants in the scheme and visited a money-laundering office connected to it. NABU materials published by Bihus.info indicate he used the illicit funds to build luxury homes near Kyiv.

Russians exploited civilians as human shields during the attack on Pokrovsk

Ukrainian investigators reported that Russian commanders ordered their troops to use civilians as human shields during an assault on the southeastern outskirts of Pokrovsk on November 10.

According to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine, a Russian commander instructed his unit over radio to force three detained civilians — a man, a woman, and a 13-year-old child — to walk in front of the soldiers as they conducted a sweep of residential areas.

Preliminary evidence indicates the order was issued to the 1st Motor Rifle Battalion of the 506th Motor Rifle Regiment, which was attacking the area at the time.

Investigators are working to confirm all details, identify those responsible, and determine what happened to the civilians. The case is being handled by the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.