Ukraine claims Russia likely targeted train carrying former UK premier, European officials

Kanyshai Butun

Ukraine on Sunday claimed a Russian drone was likely targeting a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European officials near the Polish border.

Ukrainian Railways said on Telegram that Russia struck a passenger train locomotive near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly before the diplomatic train was due to arrive at Yahodyn station.

The operator said security advisers from several EU member states and former European leaders, including Johnson, were aboard the diplomatic train. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was on another train at Yahodyn station at the time of the attack.

The jet-powered drone targeting the locomotive was detected by a dispatcher, and an evacuation warning was issued 15 minutes before the locomotive was hit, according to Ukrainian Railways.

“It is highly likely that the Russian drone’s intended target was actually the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier than scheduled due to real-time schedule adjustments made in response to the constant threat of Russian strikes,” the operator said.

Ukrainian Railways accused Moscow of continuing attempts to target civilian trains, while Russia has not commented on Ukraine’s latest claims.

Earlier, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that a privately chartered train carrying Johnson and European officials from Kyiv toward Poland was stopped Sunday because of a drone attack threat.

According to the report, Gunter Sautter, one of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s closest advisers, was aboard the train. Parts of the train were evacuated following drone strikes in the area.

Sautter, a foreign and security policy adviser at the Chancellery, had been in Kyiv with security advisers from Britain, France and Italy for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government on possible peace negotiations with Russia. He also attended the Yalta European Strategy conference Saturday.

Other European security advisers, German lawmakers, diplomats and academics were aboard the train, along with Johnson, who was returning to Poland after the conference.

No one was injured, the newspaper reported, adding that the passengers were briefly evacuated after a drone alert before authorities issued an all-clear when no further drones were detected.