A Russian drone struck a passenger train just 2 kilometers from Ukraine’s border with Poland on Sunday, minutes after a train carrying former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European dignitaries had used the same line. No casualties were reported.
The train, traveling toward Warsaw, was on a route frequently used by foreign delegations returning from Kyiv. Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the locomotive was hit but the crew had been warned in advance, and passengers were evacuated as the drone approached.
What Happened
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who had been traveling on the earlier train with Johnson and other security advisers after attending a conference in Kyiv, wrote on X that the strike hit a different train just minutes behind theirs at the border crossing, and that no one was hurt. Ukrzaliznytsia said it was entirely possible the drone’s intended target had been the diplomatic train, which departed the station earlier than scheduled after officials adjusted timetables in real time because of the constant threat of Russian strikes.
Boris Johnson, who was also aboard the earlier train, condemned the strike as “random and senseless” in a post on Instagram. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that President Vladimir Putin was “knocking directly on the doors of the EU and NATO,” adding that Russian forces were “at your gate, dear partners.”
Latest Developments
Earlier the same day, a truck less than a kilometer from the Ukraine-Poland border was also struck, prompting the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing point to briefly suspend operations, according to Ukrainian border guards. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had targeted infrastructure it said was facilitating military cargo shipments from Europe into western Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described the intensifying strikes near NATO’s border as “an escalation.”
The attacks came after a night in which Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles across Ukraine, killing at least six people and injuring more than 40, according to Ukrainian officials.
Key Facts
- A Russian drone hit a passenger train 2 kilometers from the Polish border on Sunday, minutes after a diplomatic delegation used the same route.
- Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt were aboard the earlier train; no injuries were reported from the strike.
- A truck near the same border crossing was also struck earlier Sunday, briefly halting operations at the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing.
- At least six people were killed and more than 40 injured overnight across Ukraine in a broader wave of Russian drone and missile strikes.
- Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted infrastructure supporting military cargo shipments from Europe.
Reactions
Polish officials framed the strikes as part of a broader pattern of Russian attacks creeping closer to NATO territory. Ukrainian officials, including Sybiha, cast the train strike as a direct provocation against the EU and NATO rather than an isolated incident. Russia has not commented specifically on the passenger train strike beyond its stated targeting of cross-border infrastructure.
Background
With the front line largely static in recent months, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes in an effort to shift momentum in the war. Russia has increasingly targeted Ukraine’s rail network and border crossings with Western allies in recent weeks, part of a broader campaign by both sides to damage the other’s economic and logistical infrastructure. Attacks on Ukrainian passenger trains have occurred repeatedly over the course of the war, though Sunday’s strike was notable for how closely it trailed a delegation of prominent Western officials.
Why It Matters
A strike this close to a route just used by a former UK prime minister and other senior European figures underscores how difficult it has become to guarantee safety even for high-profile diplomatic travel in and out of Kyiv. The incident adds to concerns in Warsaw and other NATO capitals that Russian long-range strikes are edging closer to alliance territory, even without direct evidence the diplomatic train itself was deliberately targeted.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether Ukrainian or international investigators will determine conclusively whether the diplomatic train was the intended target. Both Russia and Ukraine appear set to continue intensified long-range strikes on infrastructure, and further scrutiny is likely on the safety of rail routes used by foreign officials traveling to and from Kyiv.
Sources: Reuters, UPI, The Detroit News (AP).
