Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and a group of European security advisers narrowly escaped a Russian drone attack near Ukraine’s border with Poland after the diplomatic train carrying them passed through the area shortly before a separate passenger train was struck.
The incident occurred on Sunday near Yahodyn, about two kilometres from Polish territory, as the officials were returning from the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv.
Ukrainian Railways said a Russian drone subsequently struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train.
No casualties were reported.
Ukrainian Railways said it was “highly likely” that the diplomatic train could have been the intended target because it had left Yahodyn earlier than scheduled after railway authorities adjusted movements in real time because of continuing Russian drone threats. A warning was reportedly issued about 15 minutes before the locomotive was hit.
Among those aboard the diplomatic train were Johnson, Bildt and European security advisers, including Günter Sautter, a senior foreign and security-policy adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as advisers from Britain, France and Italy.
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German lawmakers, diplomats and academics were also reported to have been travelling with the delegation.
The passengers were temporarily warned to evacuate after the drone alert, but the evacuation order was later cancelled after authorities determined that no further immediate threat was detected.
All passengers remained unharmed and the train continued its journey.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus was also in the area on another train at Yahodyn station when the attack occurred, but his train was not hit.
The incident has triggered concern across Europe because of the proximity of the attack to Poland, a NATO member and European Union country.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned the strike, saying it appeared intended to intimidate and divide Europeans.
Ukrainian officials described the attack as another indication that Russia’s war is increasingly threatening European security.
Polish authorities said there was no confirmed violation of Polish airspace, but the attack intensified concerns about the possibility of Russian strikes coming dangerously close to NATO territory.
A separate Russian strike also hit a truck near the Ukraine-Poland border crossing.
Russia has maintained that its attacks target Ukrainian military or logistical infrastructure, including railway facilities used to transport military supplies. Moscow has not publicly confirmed that the diplomatic delegation was the intended target.
The near-miss has nevertheless raised serious concerns over the safety of senior European political figures travelling to Ukraine, particularly as Western governments continue diplomatic efforts to end the war.
For Johnson, Bildt and the European security officials, the incident demonstrated the growing risks faced by foreign delegations operating inside Ukraine. Had the diplomatic train remained at the station, the attack could have resulted in multiple high-level European casualties and potentially triggered a major diplomatic and security crisis between Russia and European countries.
The incident therefore represents more than a railway attack. It has become a fresh warning that Russia’s expanding drone campaign is bringing the war increasingly close to EU and NATO territory, raising fears of further escalation and placing greater pressure on European governments to strengthen air defence and security arrangements for officials travelling to Ukraine.