A major disruption to the Dutch railway network is suspected to be an act of sabotage amid escalating tensions in the Baltic Sea

Parts of the railway network in the Netherlands witnessed a major disruption early Tuesday morning, as the company responsible for maintaining the country's railway infrastructure stated that it was dealing with the cause behind that disruption as a "possible act of sabotage," according to the Associated Press.

Prorail said in a statement that “materials were found intentionally placed on the tracks in many locations, causing malfunctions in the track circuit systems.” "It appears to be an act of sabotage."

The company did not provide details about the nature of the materials found on the railway lines.

There were no immediate indications as to who was suspected of being responsible for what appeared to be an “act of sabotage.”

For its part, the national railway company announced that train services around the cities of Zwolle, Deventer and Amersfoort, in the center of the country, were severely affected during the morning rush hour.

The unrest occurred on the day the Dutch government presents its annual budget to Parliament, an event that attracts thousands of people to The Hague to watch the royal family's motorcade through the city in horse-drawn carriages.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Gitten described the acts of vandalism as “life-threatening” and said that these attacks were aimed at “destabilizing society,” according to the Dutch News Agency.

However, he was unable to comment at this stage on whether this constituted a terrorist act or not. The results of the police investigation must be awaited before drawing any conclusions.

Police reported that after clearing the tracks in the morning, materials were again discovered in several locations that could have caused disturbances. However, Prorail said rail services were largely back to normal by around midday.

The German news agency quoted the Dutch intelligence service as saying that it supports the police in their investigations and is focusing on the issue of “what is the source of this.”

In response to a question about the possibility of a terrorist motive, a spokesman for the National Coordinator for Security and Counter-Terrorism declined to comment, according to the Dutch News Agency.

Russian-European relations witnessed a remarkable escalation during the past 48 hours, with Moscow and Copenhagen exchanging accusations over an incident in the Baltic waters, and a NATO fighter shooting down a Russian drone in the airspace of Lithuania.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statements addressed to European leaders increased the intensity of the escalation, after it called on Western politicians and diplomats to "seriously" evaluate the risks of traveling to Ukraine. The statements of Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova came two days after a Russian drone targeted a passenger train on a line through which another train passed minutes before the attack carrying a group including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. Zakharova said that railway hubs and transport infrastructure serving the Ukrainian army are legitimate targets, and that Moscow issued warnings to foreign diplomats in May to leave Kiev due to Russian attacks on the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.

Boundary testing

On Tuesday, Denmark accused Russia of launching two flare bombs at its helicopter that was carrying out a mission over the Baltic Sea, describing the matter as a “reckless act,” while Moscow responded by saying that the helicopter had carried out “provocative maneuvers.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a post on the “X” platform, “The Russian actions aim to intimidate and sow division, but they will not succeed.” "We will not back down." According to the Danish army, the incident occurred on Monday evening, off the coast of Gedser, in the far south of Denmark. The army confirmed in a statement that a Russian warship targeted one of its helicopters, explaining that at the time it was targeted, it was conducting a routine photography operation near a Russian frigate anchored in international waters. It added that the frigate fired “two bombs towards the helicopter, one of which passed close to it,” as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løke Rasmussen said that the incident was “completely unacceptable and could have put people’s lives in danger.” He added, "Russia constantly exceeds the limits of what it considers acceptable behavior," stressing that "this is something we cannot accept." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the Russian action. She said in a post on the “X” platform: “Once again, Europe finds itself confronted with Russia’s irresponsible and dangerous behavior.”

For its part, Moscow was quick to place the responsibility on Denmark. The Russian ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, denounced “provocative maneuvers” carried out by the Danish helicopter over the Baltic Sea, denying that it was conducting “routine training,” according to what was reported in a statement published by “Agence France-Presse.” He said, “This latest incident proves that the communication problems do not come from the side of the Russian naval ships, but from the Danish side.” Rasmussen summoned the Russian ambassador “to clarify the circumstances of this incident.”

Frequent accidents

Tensions in the Baltic Sea have escalated sharply since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Denmark, a NATO member and supporter of Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out multi-means operations on its territory. In the fall of 2025, a number of drones penetrated Denmark's airspace. This caused the suspension of air traffic and the closure of airports, including Copenhagen Airport, the largest airport in Northern Europe. Incidents of flying unidentified drones began just days after Denmark announced, for the first time, the acquisition of long-range precision weapons, a move it attributed to the threat posed by Russia “for the coming years.” While investigators were unable to determine who was responsible for flying the drones, Frederiksen pointed the finger of blame at Russia. In September, Danish intelligence said that Moscow was “actively preparing to carry out sabotage operations” targeting the country’s defense industry. Danish intelligence officials told Agence France-Presse that Russia is recruiting “ordinary Danes” through social media to take photos that could be used to plan sabotage acts, and Denmark has also accused hacking groups linked to the Russian state of launching cyber attacks against Denmark.

Dropped march in Lithuania

About 24 hours before the Denmark incident, the Lithuanian Crisis Management Center announced that a NATO fighter plane shot down a drone in Lithuania shortly after midnight on Monday. The center's spokesman added that the drone, which likely entered the airspace from Belarus, was shot down near the village of Bratkunai in southern Lithuania. He pointed out that its source had not yet been determined, and a warning had been issued earlier about the presence of a drone in the capital, Vilnius, and the surrounding area. Fighters belonging to the NATO mission to monitor the airspace in the Baltic states have been conducting patrols in the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia since these countries joined the alliance in 2004. The mission’s planes shot down stray Ukrainian drones over Estonia in May, and over Latvia in June and August. The military drones that deviated from their course and entered the airspace of countries neighboring Russia raised fears that the war waged by Moscow in Ukraine exceeds the borders of NATO. Ukraine escalated its long-range drone attacks on Russia, including in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukrainian military marches penetrated the airspace of Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Ukraine blamed these incidents on Russia, claiming that it affected the paths of drones using electromagnetic warfare.