A passenger train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw was struck by a Russian drone near the Poland-Ukraine border, marking a significant escalation in cross-border hostilities. The incident occurred approximately two kilometers from the Polish border close to the Dorohusk-Yahodybn crossing. Ukrainian authorities reported no casualties on the train, but the attack occurred amid a wider series of Russian strikes across Ukraine that killed at least six people and injured more than 40.
The drone strike hit the engine of a stationary locomotive, with Ukrainian Railways indicating that a train carrying several European security advisers, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former CIA chief David Petraeus, had recently passed through the area. Ukrainian Railways suggested the diplomatic train may have been the intended target, noting it had departed earlier than originally scheduled due to the ongoing threat of Russian attacks. Johnson condemned the strike on social media, describing it as a "random and senseless attack" on civilian infrastructure.
Passengers onboard the Warsaw-bound train were instructed to evacuate the train at around 9 a.m. after already having disembarked earlier in the night due to security concerns. Katerina Sergatskova, director of Daily Humanity, a group that trains personnel for high-risk environments and a passenger on the train, described a tense and hurried evacuation. Another witness, a British economist, recounted multiple evacuations and praised the Ukrainian authorities for their timely warnings and well-executed safety measures.
The broader missile and drone campaign launched by Russia involved over 450 aerial strikes overnight, primarily targeting critical infrastructure in western Ukraine, a region typically less affected by conflict. Ukraine's air force reported intercepting 405 drones and four missiles during the assault. The strikes also prompted air-raid warnings in neighboring Poland, with Polish and Ukrainian officials confirming that a truck near the border crossing was also hit. Russia’s defense ministry said its forces targeted infrastructure supporting military cargo shipments from Europe into Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the attacks as “Putin’s terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and NATO,” framing the aggression as a direct threat to European security. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s determination to prevent the conflict from spreading into Europe, highlighting the sacrifices made by Ukrainian forces. Polish officials expressed serious concern about the escalating attacks. Poland’s Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński labeled Russia as “the enemy of the free world,” while Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described the situation as an escalation.
In response to the heightened risk, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting, warning that the intensification of Russian attacks could have direct consequences for his country in the near future. Meanwhile, Lithuania briefly closed Vilnius airport due to a suspected drone sighting, which NATO responded to with a fighter jet, later identifying the threat as a flock of birds.
Separately, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian fuel supplies, arguing that they were causing diesel shortages, although the conflict’s broader impacts on energy supplies have been widely acknowledged.
The recent wave of attacks illustrates a marked intensification as Russia extends its strike capabilities beyond frontline areas, targeting infrastructure closer to European borders and raising risks of further spillover effects.