A Russian drone struck a train in western Ukraine near the Polish border on Tuesday, just moments after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a delegation of European security officials had passed through the same area on a different train. The drone hit the engine of the stationary train at Yahodyn, but Ukrainian authorities reported no casualties, stating all passengers had been evacuated.

This incident occurred as Johnson and national security advisers, including the UK's Jonathan Powell, were returning from a conference in Kyiv. They had traveled along the same railway line. The timing of the strike, so soon after high-profile figures had traversed the route, has raised significant concerns.

Ukrainian officials indicated that the train had departed the station earlier than scheduled due to constant threats of Russian strikes. An evacuation order for the passengers on the targeted train was reportedly issued just 15 minutes before the drone attack. Both Ukrainian and Polish authorities confirmed the drone hit approximately 2 kilometers from the Polish border.

Former CIA chief David Petraeus, who was on another train at Yahodyn station at the time, described the event as "terrifying" and called it the act of a "barbaric leader trying to terrorize Ukrainian civilians." Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, also present, recounted that passengers on his train were initially told to prepare for evacuation before being cleared to continue their journey.

Russia has stated it targeted railway infrastructure in western Ukraine. However, Ukraine's state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, suggested the diplomatic train may have been the intended target. The company noted the train left earlier than planned because of timetable changes made "due to constant threats of Russian strikes."

Boris Johnson condemned the strike on X, formerly Twitter, questioning the "warped logic" behind attacking a "stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border." He characterized it as the type of "random and senseless attack" Ukrainians face daily and reiterated calls for allies to provide air defense systems.

Ukraine has consistently appealed to its international partners, particularly the United States, for more interceptors to counter what it describes as increasingly frequent and sophisticated Russian attacks utilizing ballistic missiles and drones.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the strikes at the Ukraine-Poland border were a direct signal of "Putin's terror knocking" on the doors of the EU and NATO. He renewed appeals for increased sanctions against Moscow.