Yahodyn/Kyiv/Warsaw: A Russian jet‑propelled drone slammed into a passenger train at Ukraine’s Yahodyn station near the Polish frontier on Sunday, moments after a separate diplomatic train bearing former British prime minister Boris Johnson and senior European security officials had cleared the area, according to Ukrainian rail authorities.
No injuries were reported. The strike tore into the locomotive’s engine; all 206 travellers aboard the hit service had been ushered off roughly 15 minutes earlier, Ukraine’s national carrier Ukrzaliznytsia said.
Diplomatic Train Pulled Out Early
Ukrzaliznytsia said the diplomatic train carrying Johnson, former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt and national security advisers from several EU countries — including the UK’s Jonathan Powell — left Yahodyn early because of “constant threats of Russian strikes”.
“Quite possibly, the target of this drone could have been the diplomatic train,” the railway operator said, noting the schedule adjustment was prompted by persistent attack warnings.
Moscow’s defence ministry said it had hit “railway infrastructure” in western Ukraine, making no mention of the visiting delegation.
Other High‑Profile Passengers In Vicinity
The rail authority added that former CIA chief David Petraeus was aboard a different train stationed at Yahodyn when the drone struck. Ukrainian and Polish officials both placed the impact roughly 2km from Poland’s border, causing brief disruption at the Dorohusk–Yahodyn crossing before operations resumed.
Bildt told the BBC his train received an instruction to brace for evacuation after halting, but was subsequently informed the route was safe and could continue to Poland’s border terminal at Dorohusk. Early accounts suggested he shared Johnson’s carriage; Johnson has not verified specifics.
Leaders Denounce Strike
Posting on X, Johnson denounced the assault as a “random and senseless” attack on civilian rail lines and pressed allies to rush additional air‑defence systems to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha branded the strike “barbaric” and said it represented Putin’s terror “knocking” directly on EU and NATO doors, while renewing demands for harsher sanctions against Moscow.
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an emergency session, cautioning that Russian actions were intensifying and edging “closer and closer to our border”.
YES Summit In Kyiv
Johnson, Bildt, Petraeus and other European security advisers were heading back from the 22nd Yalta European Strategy (YES) yearly gathering in Kyiv, headlined “Peace Through Strength NOW!”, which assembled around 700 attendees from 28 nations, including sitting and former heads of state, defence and foreign ministers, legislators and security chiefs.
Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to partners, especially Washington, for more interceptor missiles to counter routine Russian raids that increasingly employ high‑speed ballistic missiles and jet‑propelled drones.
