A Russian drone strike on railway infrastructure in western Ukraine has raised fresh security concerns after it hit a train near the Polish border shortly after a group of European officials and other international figures had travelled through the area.
The incident occurred on Sunday near Yahodyn, a Ukrainian railway station only a few kilometres from the Polish border. The officials, who included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, had been returning from a gathering of European and Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv. Their train had crossed toward Poland shortly before the attack.
The train struck by the Russian drone was evacuated before the impact, and no casualties were reported. Reports said the targeted service was carrying more than 200 passengers, highlighting the potential danger posed by the attack even though the evacuation prevented loss of life. Another account said the strike hit a stationary locomotive after it had been separated from the passenger train.
The timing of the incident immediately attracted attention because the international delegation had passed through the same railway corridor only minutes earlier. Ukrainian railway officials said a train carrying European security advisers, Johnson and former CIA director David Petraeus had travelled through the border crossing before the strike. However, there has been no independent confirmation that the delegation itself was the intended target.
Johnson condemned the attack, describing the strike as senseless and questioning the reasoning behind targeting a stationary Ukrainian locomotive close to the Polish border. He argued that attacks on civilian railway infrastructure demonstrated the dangers faced by Ukrainians on a daily basis and called on Western governments to strengthen their support for Ukraine.
Russia, meanwhile, said its forces had targeted railway infrastructure in western Ukraine that it claims is used to transport military cargo from European countries. Moscow has repeatedly argued that strikes against Ukrainian transport networks are aimed at disrupting the movement of military supplies rather than deliberately targeting civilians.
The attack came amid a wider Russian drone and missile campaign across Ukraine. Several other areas were struck, including regions in western Ukraine that have generally experienced less intense fighting than cities closer to the front line. The broader attacks caused deaths and injuries and prompted heightened concern in neighbouring Poland.
Polish authorities responded with increased security measures and an emergency meeting led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Warsaw has warned that continued Russian attacks close to its territory could create additional risks for Poland, a NATO member bordering Ukraine. Polish officials said there was no confirmed violation of Polish airspace during the incident.
The episode underscores how Ukraine's railway network remains critical to the country's wartime logistics and international connections. Since Russia's full-scale invasion, trains have carried civilians, humanitarian workers, diplomats and foreign leaders while air travel inside Ukraine remains severely restricted.
For European governments, the latest strike also illustrates the growing risks surrounding travel to Ukraine, particularly along routes close to NATO territory. Although the train carrying the international delegation escaped unharmed, the incident has intensified concerns that continued attacks on western Ukraine could bring the consequences of the war increasingly close to Europe's borders.