A Russian drone struck a Ukrainian passenger train travelling toward Warsaw at a rail crossing close to the Poland‑Ukraine border on Sunday, moments after former British prime minister Boris Johnson and former CIA chief David Petraeus had departed the nearby station, the BBC reported. Ukrainian rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that the train was stationary when hit, and no fatalities were reported. The incident follows a series of Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine’s transport infrastructure and has been described by Kyiv and Warsaw as a dangerous escalation.
Incident details
According to Ukrainian officials, the drone targeted a civilian passenger train that was awaiting clearance to cross into Poland. The strike damaged the locomotive and several carriages but, as of the latest reports, caused only minor injuries among passengers. The New York Times noted that a separate train, also bound for Warsaw, was hit while a different train carrying Johnson and other Western dignitaries had already left the station.
“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning,” Johnson said, according to the BBC.
Presence of Western officials
Multiple outlets, including The Guardian and Al Jazeera, reported that Johnson, accompanied by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other European officials, arrived at the Yahodyn railway station in eastern Ukraine on a diplomatic mission to discuss aid and security cooperation. Petraeus was also present at the station, according to Ukraine’s rail operator, which said the ex‑CIA chief was part of a broader delegation of senior Western figures. Both men boarded a train that left the station shortly before the drone strike, according to Ukrainian statements.
Reactions and accusations
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly condemned the attack, calling it an “escalation” that threatened regional stability. The French‑language broadcaster France 24 quoted Polish officials as saying the strike violated international humanitarian law. Western diplomats, while not directly accusing Moscow, expressed “grave concern” over the timing of the strike, noting the proximity of high‑profile visitors.
Johnson later described the incident as “unacceptable” and urged the international community to hold Russia accountable, the BBC added. Petraeus did not immediately comment, but a spokesperson for the former CIA director emphasized that the delegation’s visit was purely humanitarian.
Russian response
Russia’s defence ministry claimed the target was a railway site used to transport “military cargo” from Europe into Ukraine, rejecting allegations that civilians were deliberately targeted. Al Arabiya English reported the Russian statement that the drone strike was part of “operations aimed at disrupting logistics supporting the Ukrainian armed forces.” No independent verification of the cargo claim has been provided, and the Ukrainian rail operator maintains the train was a civilian passenger service.
