A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday shortly after a diplomatic train carrying high-profile officials, including former prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Sweden, departed the station, Ukraine’s state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported.
The incident occurred at the Yahodyn station, close to the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, the diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt, and security advisors from several European Union states had deliberately left the station ahead of its scheduled time. The visitors had been in Kyiv for the Yalta European Strategy conference.
"It is highly probable that the Russian drone's intended target was in fact the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier than scheduled," the company stated on Telegram.
Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister, shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, of the attack at the station, noting that the targeted train was not his but the one that passed through minutes before his. He stated that the train was evacuated as the drone approached and that no one was injured, crediting a robust safety system.
Another train, carrying former CIA Director David Petraeus, was still at Yahodyn station when the drone struck, Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed. There were no immediate reports of casualties from any of the trains.
Ukrzaliznytsia indicated that it continuously adjusts train schedules to mitigate the risk of such attacks. Boris Johnson commented on X that the attack was a "random and senseless" act, highlighting that it demonstrated the daily risks faced by Ukrainians, even on civilian railways.
Earlier on Sunday, a separate Russian drone reportedly hit a truck less than a mile from Polish territory, leading to the temporary closure of the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing.