Russian drone hits train near Poland border

A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several senior European security officials had travelled through the same railway route.

The strike took place at Yahodyn, close to the Polish border, and damaged the train’s engine. Ukrainian authorities said no casualties were reported and passengers were evacuated following the attack.

Johnson and other European officials, including the UK’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell, had used the railway line while returning from the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv. They were travelling on a different train that had passed through the area earlier.

Russia said its forces had targeted railway infrastructure in western Ukraine. However, Ukraine’s state railway operator said it was possible that the drone had been aimed at the diplomatic train. The railway company said the train carrying the officials had departed earlier than originally scheduled because of a timetable change prompted by continuing concerns over Russian strikes.

Passengers aboard the train that was hit were reportedly ordered to evacuate around 15 minutes before the drone attack. The railway operator also said former CIA director David Petraeus was travelling on another train at Yahodyn station when the strike occurred.

Ukrainian and Polish officials said the drone hit approximately two kilometres from the Polish border, raising fresh concerns in Warsaw about the proximity of Russia’s attacks to NATO territory.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who had attended the Kyiv conference, said passengers on his train were temporarily instructed to prepare for evacuation after the train stopped. The passengers were later told the danger had passed and the train continued safely towards Poland.

Johnson criticised the attack, describing the destruction of a stationary Ukrainian locomotive near the Polish border as a senseless act and warning that similar attacks on civilian railway infrastructure were being carried out across Ukraine. He called on Kyiv’s allies to provide additional air-defence systems to protect the country from Russian missiles and drones.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strike and said Russian attacks near the Ukraine-Poland border demonstrated the growing threat to European security. He called for stronger international pressure and additional sanctions against Moscow.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting following the incident, warning that Russia’s escalating actions were bringing the conflict increasingly close to Poland’s border.

The strike comes amid a broader increase in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s railway network, including trains, depots and other transport infrastructure. Ukraine relies heavily on its railways, which have remained a crucial means of transporting civilians and goods since air travel was suspended following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.