By TheDailyNewsHub
A Russian drone struck a passenger train in Ukraine near the Polish border on Sunday, minutes after a separate train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior European figures had passed through the area.
The incident occurred on the Kyiv-Warsaw railway route near the Yahodyn border crossing, as Russia launched a major wave of drone attacks across Ukraine.
The train carrying Johnson was travelling towards Poland after the former British prime minister attended the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and Günter Sautter, foreign-policy and security adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, were also among the European figures travelling in the group.
The train carrying the officials had already passed the area when a second passenger service, travelling behind it, came under threat from a Russian drone.
The second train, carrying about 206 passengers, was evacuated after the drone was detected. The drone subsequently struck the train’s locomotive.
No injuries or deaths were reported in the incident.
Bildt confirmed the sequence of events, saying the train that was struck was not the one carrying the officials but the service that followed it. The evacuation allowed passengers and railway staff to get clear before the drone hit.
Johnson later criticised the attack, describing it as a “random and senseless” strike and using the incident to call for stronger Western support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have described the attack as part of Russia’s continuing campaign against civilian and critical infrastructure. The railway network has become an important target during the war because it carries civilians, humanitarian supplies and military equipment across the country.
The incident occurred close to the Polish border, adding to concerns about the potential risks posed by Russia’s aerial attacks to neighbouring NATO territory. Poland responded by activating air-defence measures and scrambling aircraft amid the wider Russian drone assault.
However, the incident nonetheless highlights the risks faced by foreign officials and other travellers using the railway corridor between Kyiv and Poland, which has been regularly used by international leaders and diplomats visiting Ukraine.
The Yalta European Strategy’s official account of its 2026 meeting lists Johnson as former UK prime minister, Bildt as former Swedish prime minister and Sautter as the political and security adviser to the German Chancellor among the event’s participants.
The Russian attack came amid a broader wave of strikes across Ukraine, with railway infrastructure among the targets reported by Ukrainian authorities.