Russian Drone Hits Passenger Train Near Poland Border After Boris Johnson, European Officials Leave

A Russian drone struck a passenger train near Ukraine’s border with NATO member Poland shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior European officials had passed through the area.

The incident occurred on Sunday near Yahodyn station, around two kilometres from the Polish border. Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train was hit by the drone. No casualties were reported.

The diplomatic train had been carrying Johnson, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, European security advisers and other officials returning from the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv.

Bildt said the diplomatic train had already passed through the area when the strike occurred. The passenger train that followed was evacuated as the drone approached, allowing passengers to escape unharmed.

Ukrzaliznytsia said it was “quite likely” that the diplomatic train could have been the intended target, although the circumstances remained under investigation. The railway operator noted that train schedules are frequently adjusted in real time because of the continuing threat of Russian attacks.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus was also in the area, travelling on another train that remained at the station during the attack. His train was not hit.

Johnson condemned the attack, describing the strike as senseless and questioning why Russia would target a stationary Ukrainian locomotive. He also highlighted the risks faced by Ukrainian railway workers and passengers during the war.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as a direct warning to Europe, saying Russia’s strikes near the Ukrainian-Polish border represented a threat to the European Union and NATO.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also condemned the strike, saying it appeared aimed at intimidating Europeans and creating divisions among countries supporting Ukraine.

The attack came amid a wider wave of Russian drone strikes across Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities reported hundreds of drones launched during the weekend, with attacks also affecting infrastructure and transport routes in western Ukraine.

The incident has heightened concerns about the proximity of the war to NATO territory, particularly as the strike occurred just kilometres from Poland. Polish and Ukrainian officials have warned that continued Russian attacks near the border could further increase tensions across Europe.