A Russian drone strike hit a train engine near the Poland-Ukraine border, potentially targeting a train that had recently carried former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the former CIA chief David Petraeus, and several European security advisors. Ukrainian officials believe the train was the intended target, while passengers on a subsequent train were evacuated after a locomotive was struck. The incident occurred during a large-scale Russian aerial attack on Ukraine that killed at least six and injured over 40 people, prompting air raid warnings in Poland.
Ukrainian Railways stated it is “quite likely” the diplomatic train carrying Johnson and Petraeus was the intended target, noting a timetable change was made due to the threat of Russian strikes. The train departed the area shortly before the attack. A second train, traveling from Kyiv towards Chelm, Poland, was evacuated three times, with passengers ultimately witnessing a drone strike that totaled a locomotive. Passengers described being instructed to hide in bushes while Ukrainian authorities responded. Katerina Sergatskova, a passenger on a Warsaw-bound train, reported hearing drones “just a few hundred metres from the border.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as “Putin’s terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato.” A British economist traveling on the night train from Kyiv reported 10 hours spent at the border and three evacuations. He noted the Ukrainian response was “timely and disciplined.” Another passenger, traveling with her eight-year-old son, had made monthly trips between Warsaw and Kyiv since 2022 without prior incident.
No casualties were reported on either train. The incident prompted Polish authorities to investigate a separate strike that hit a lorry less than a kilometer from the Dorohusk-Yahodyn border crossing. Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 405 drones and four missiles during the overnight attacks, which particularly impacted western Ukraine.
Our reading is that the reported drone strike, while not resulting in casualties, represents a potential escalation of the conflict, specifically targeting individuals perceived as supportive of Ukraine. The differing emphasis in media coverage, between framing the attack as a direct threat to Boris Johnson versus a general targeting of the train, highlights the sensitivity surrounding the involvement of high-profile figures. The evacuation of multiple trains and the reported timetable change suggest a heightened awareness of risk and a deliberate attempt to mitigate potential harm.
Read the original coverage
💬 Comments
📜 Comment Policy