A Russian drone struck a passenger train just 1.2 miles from Poland shortly after a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European officials traveled along the same route, Ukrainian authorities said.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A Russian drone struck a passenger train near Ukraine’s border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, hitting the railway shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European officials passed through the area.
Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said the passenger train was attacked approximately 2 kilometers, or 1.2 miles, from the Polish border along a route frequently used by foreign delegations traveling to and from Kyiv.
No casualties were reported.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who was among the politicians returning from a conference in Kyiv, said the strike hit the train traveling shortly behind the delegation.
“This wasn’t our train, but the one just minutes after us by the border crossing. It was evacuated as the drone approached and no one was hurt,” Bildt wrote on X.
Ukrzaliznytsia said it was possible the diplomatic train had been the intended target.
“It is entirely possible that the Russian drone’s intended target was the diplomatic train, which departed the station earlier than scheduled after train timetables were adjusted in real time because of the constant threat of Russian strikes,” the railway operator said on Telegram.
Johnson was also aboard the train that had left the area shortly before the attack.
The former British prime minister condemned the strike as “random and senseless” in a post on Instagram.
The incident occurred as Russia has increasingly targeted transportation and border infrastructure linking Ukraine with its Western allies.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described the growing attacks near NATO territory as “an escalation.”
Earlier Sunday, a truck less than 1 kilometer from the Ukrainian-Polish border was also struck, temporarily forcing authorities to halt operations at the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces had targeted infrastructure in western Ukraine used to facilitate military cargo shipments arriving from Europe.
The border crossings have become increasingly significant more than four years into the war because they serve as major routes for Western military equipment, humanitarian aid and commercial traffic entering Ukraine.
The attacks are part of a broader escalation in long-range strikes by both Moscow and Kyiv as the front line remains largely static.
Russia has intensified drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, while Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy facilities, industrial sites and other locations far from the battlefield.
Hostilities were also reported around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom accused Ukraine of striking fuel trucks near the facility, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power station.
The plant has been controlled by Russian forces since March 2022 and remains close to active combat zones.
A Ukrainian military spokesperson did not immediately respond to the allegation.
Farther inside Russia, Ukrainian drones struck the city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan, according to local officials.
Mayor Radmir Belyaev said “civilian and industrial” targets were hit, killing at least two people and injuring several others.
He did not identify the specific industrial sites involved, but Nizhnekamsk contains a major oil refinery that has previously been targeted.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the Nizhnekamsk strike but said their forces had successfully attacked another Russian refinery in the southern Krasnodar region.
Sunday’s attacks highlighted the increasingly broad geographic reach of the conflict, with strikes occurring near NATO territory, around one of Europe’s largest nuclear facilities and deep inside Russia.
The train attack near Poland was particularly notable because of its timing.
A train carrying Johnson, Bildt and other European political figures had passed through the same area only minutes before the Russian drone struck the following passenger train.
Although Ukrainian railway officials said the diplomatic train may have been the intended target, no evidence confirming that assessment has been publicly presented.
No passengers were injured in the strike, but the incident added to concerns that Russia’s expanding campaign against western Ukrainian transportation infrastructure is bringing the war increasingly close to NATO’s eastern border.
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