Ukraine Train Hit After Boris Johnson Leaves Station

A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European security advisers had passed through the same area on a different service, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack hit an engine on the train at Yahodyn, a station near the border, according to Ukraine’s state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia. No casualties were reported. Ukrainian authorities said all passengers were evacuated after the strike.

Strike Near Yahodyn

Ukrzaliznytsia said the drone attack affected “railway infrastructure” in western Ukraine. The company added that the target “could have been the diplomatic train”, citing information that a train had departed the station earlier than expected.

In a statement, Ukrzaliznytsia said the change was linked to a revised timetable made in response to constant threats of Russian missile and drone strikes. It also said passengers on the train that was hit were ordered to evacuate “just 15 minutes” before the drone attack, after which they were taken to safety.

Both Ukrainian and Polish authorities said the drone struck about 2km from the Polish border.

Officials Travelled Through Same Line

Johnson and other national security advisers, including the UK’s Jonathan Powell, travelled along the same railway line on a different train as they returned from Kyiv following the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference.

Former CIA director David Petraeus was reported to have been on board another train at Yahodyn station at the time of the drone strike, Ukrzaliznytsia said.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who attended the YES conference in Kyiv, told the BBC that passengers on his train were instructed to prepare for evacuation after the service stopped. He said that after several minutes, they were told it was safe to continue.

Bildt’s train then reached Dorohusk, a border station in Poland, without incident.

Some reports suggested Bildt was on the same train as Johnson, but Johnson did not confirm any details.

Johnson Warns of Need for Air Defences

Johnson condemned the strike in a post on X, saying it reflected attacks he said President Vladimir Putin was carrying out on Ukrainian civilian rail services. He said it showed how Ukrainians were enduring daily attacks and urged Kyiv’s allies to provide air defences.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked partners, particularly the United States, to supply more interceptors to counter Russian strikes that increasingly use fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-propelled drones.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strike at Yahodyn was a “barbaric” attack and described it as a message aimed at the EU and Nato. He renewed calls for additional sanctions on Moscow.

Graphic courtesy of BBC

Poland Holds Emergency Talks

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk held an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments after authorities said the drone hit close to the border.

Tusk said in a statement that escalation from the Russian side was becoming a reality and that actions were getting closer to Poland.

Ukraine and European countries have said Russia is widening attacks on transport and infrastructure, including trains, depots, petrol stations and border crossings.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said two people were killed when Russian drones hit a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. He also said a female conductor died in a drone attack on a passenger train in southern Ukraine, and that six Ukrzaliznytsia employees were killed when a depot was struck in Kyiv earlier this month. In January, Zelensky condemned a Russian strike on a crowded passenger train in the north-eastern Kharkiv region as “terrorism”, after it killed five people.

Russia’s attacks have significantly damaged Ukraine’s rail network, which remains the main mode of transport for millions inside the country. Air travel has been suspended since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

European governments have also blamed Russia for alleged incidents on their territory. Germany said Russia was behind an August drone attack at Leipzig’s airport, which Moscow rejected as “absurd”. Several suspicious fires at defence sites from Italy to Estonia have also been attributed to Russia by affected countries.

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14 September 2026