Former British prime minister Boris Johnson was evacuated from a train in western Ukraine after a Russian drone attack targeted a railway line close to the Polish border, highlighting the growing reach of Moscow’s campaign against Ukraine’s transport infrastructure.
Johnson, a prominent supporter of Ukraine, was travelling towards Poland early on Sunday after attending the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv when the privately chartered train was stopped and passengers were ordered to evacuate at about 5am local time.
He is understood to have escaped unharmed.
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Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt was among those travelling with Johnson and said a nearby train was targeted shortly afterwards.
“This wasn’t our train [that was hit], but the one just minutes after us by the [Polish] border crossing,” he said.
“It was evacuated as the [Russian] drone approached and no one was hurt.”
“Our train just had an evacuation warning but could proceed to Dorohusk.
“The [Russian] attacks against [Ukraine] are intensifying.”
‼️ Russian drone hits train carrying Boris Johnson and European officials, — Der Spiegel. pic.twitter.com/3VsNb8wL2o
— MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) September 13, 2026
The special train was also carrying Günter Sautter, foreign and security policy adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, alongside European security advisers, German MPs, diplomats and scientists, according to Der Spiegel.
The group had been attending the security conference in the Ukrainian capital. The train later resumed its journey after no further drones were detected.
The incident followed a separate attack on a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train carrying 206 people. A Russian drone struck the train near the Polish border, although Ukrainian railway authorities said nobody was injured.
Ukrainian Railways said Russia was systematically targeting the country’s rail network and that its personnel remained on “high alert”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of “deliberately” targeting the train.
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. So far Putin…
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 13, 2026
The railway network has become increasingly important to Ukraine’s links with Europe since the closure of the country’s airspace. Trains from Poland remain a major route for passengers and officials entering and leaving Ukraine.
The attacks have also raised concern in Warsaw and across NATO. Poland accused Vladimir Putin of “escalating” the conflict after strikes were reported close to the border, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a drone had struck the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing, a key transport link between Ukraine and Poland.
German Green MP Robin Wagener, who was travelling with Johnson, described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation”.
He told Der Spiegel: “Russia is becoming increasingly unscrupulous and is playing with fire right on the border of the European Union and NATO; we must finally put a clear stop to this terror.”
Sybiha said the attacks represented a direct warning to Europe.
“Russia’s barbaric strikes at the Ukraine-Poland border in Yahodyn are not just a continuation of its attacks on our state borders.
“This is Putin’s terror ‘knocking’ directly on the doors of the EU and NATO.
“Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners. Act now: throw the full weight of your sanctions at Putin’s aggressive regime. Make Moscow feel the consequences of its terror. Not just half-decisions, but uncompromising, powerful steps. Full trade embargo. Full entry bans. Full sanctions on the military-industrial complex.
“Putin needs to understand that his barbarism will be met with decisive action that increases the cost of war for him to an unacceptable level. This is the only way to stop him.”
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