A Russian drone strike damaged a locomotive near Yahodyn, close to the Ukraine-Poland border, after a train carrying passengers was evacuated just 15 minutes before the attack, Ukrainian railway authorities said.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and several senior European security officials had travelled along the same railway route shortly before the strike. They were reportedly on a separate diplomatic train that departed earlier than scheduled because of repeated Russian attack threats and changes to the timetable.
Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the targeted train was hit by a jet-powered drone. The locomotive was damaged, but no casualties were reported and all passengers were safely evacuated.
The strike took place in the Yahodyn area, only about two kilometres from the Polish border, according to Ukrainian and Polish authorities.
Ukrzaliznytsia also said former CIA Director David Petraeus was on another train at Yahodyn station when the attack occurred.
Sweden’s former prime minister Carl Bildt, who was travelling on one of the trains, told the BBC that passengers were initially instructed to prepare for evacuation after the train stopped. A few minutes later, they were told that the situation was under control and that the journey could continue.
The train later reached the Polish border station of Dorohusk safely. Some reports claimed that Bildt and Johnson were travelling on the same train, but Johnson did not confirm the reports.
Johnson condemns Putin
Following the attack, Johnson criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin in a post on X, saying he could not understand the “perverse logic” behind the destruction of a stationary Ukrainian locomotive near the Polish border.
He described the strike as part of the daily attacks against Ukrainians and urged Western allies to urgently provide Ukraine with additional air-defence systems.
Russia said it had carried out strikes against railway infrastructure in western Ukraine. However, Ukrzaliznytsia said the attack had targeted the train used by Johnson and other senior European security officials.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strike as an act of barbarism, warning that what he called Putin’s “terror” was now knocking directly on the doors of the European Union and NATO.
Poland calls emergency meeting
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation following the strike. He warned that Russian military provocations were becoming a reality and were occurring increasingly close to Poland’s border.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian airspace has remained closed to civilian aviation, making the country’s extensive railway network a crucial means of transport.
In recent months, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukrainian trains, railway depots and border-crossing infrastructure, according to Ukrainian authorities.
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