Russia Strikes Locomotive Near Polish Border — Train Carrying EU Officials Passed Through Shortly Before

A Russian UAV struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train in the morning, shortly after a train carrying security advisers from several European Union member states and former European leaders had passed through the area.

Ukrzaliznytsia reported this on its official Telegram channel.

A diplomatic train was at Yahodyn station on the Ukrainian-Polish border shortly before Russia struck the locomotive. On board were security advisers from several EU countries and former European leaders, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was also traveling on another train, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.

Spiegel reported that shortly before the strike, a train carrying German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign and security policy adviser Günter Sautter and Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter had passed along the railway line.

Ukrzaliznytsia added that the diplomatic train itself may have been the drone’s target. It had departed the station earlier than scheduled because train schedules are constantly revised due to the threat of Russian strikes.

“I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning. What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day – even on civilian railways,” former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented on the attack on the train.

According to the railway operator, a jet-powered mesh drone was detected by a dispatcher from the Central Monitoring Group, and the evacuation signal was issued just 15 minutes before the locomotive was hit. No one was injured in the attack.

The strike on the railway occurred as part of a massive Russian attack on the night of September 13. According to official data from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched 453 drones of various types, including Shahed-type drones, jet-powered variants, Gerbera drones, Parodiya decoy drones and jet-powered S8000 Bandera drones.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack further evidence that the Russian threat is approaching EU and NATO territory.

“This is Putin’s terror “knocking” directly on the doors of the EU and NATO,” the minister said.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that just a few hours before the attack, members of his team were unable to leave Ukraine through the border crossing because of the threat from Russian drones.

Falling debris after the attack set fire to a gas station building and several trucks parked nearby.